The Dravidians - On The Original Inhabitants Of Bharatvarsha Or India

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ON THE ORIGINAL INHABITANTS OP BHAHATAYARSA OR INDIA

ON

THE ORIGINAL INHABITANTS OP

BHARATAVARSA OR

INDIA

BY

GUSTAV OPPERT PhD Professor of Sanskrit

and Comparative Philology Presidency Telugu Translator

to

College

Madras

Government

Curator Government Oriental Manuscripts Library Src

8fc

^c

WESTMINSTER

LEIPZIG

Aechibald Constable & Co 14 Parliament Street S W

Otto Hareassowitz

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MADRAS PRINTED BY THE SUPERINTEKDENT, LAWRENCE ASYLUM PRESS.

PREFACE.

Thk main

work

object of this

prove from existing

to

is

sources, so far as they are available to me, that the original

inhabitants of India, with the exception of a small minority

and the same race,

of foreign immigrants, belong all to one

branches of which are spread over the continents of Asia and Europe, and which

is

also

known

The branch which

Ugrian or Turanian.

India should, according to

my

and most honoured representatives, its

name Bharatavarsa

The favoured spots

domiciled in

opinion, be called Bharalan,

because the Bharatas were in olden times

received

is

as Finnish-

after

its

most numerous

whom the

country

or Bharatavarsa.

in which, in primeval periods,

men

pre-

ferred to select their dwellings, were the highlands, hills, and

mountains for these regions afforded ;

only against the attacks of

men and

gi'eater protection not of wild beasts,

but also

against the fury of the unfettered elements, especially against the ravages of sudden and disastrous inundations. the plains were not altogether uninhabited,

still

Though

the bulk of

the population preferred, where obtainable, the higher and

more secure

places.

I

believe

that

essentially a race of mountaineers,

the Bharatas were

and that

their

name

is

intimately connected with the G-auda-Dravidian root paru parai, mountain, a tion.

circumstance to which I draw atten-

'

See pages

13, 32, 83.

PEEPACB.

VI

The Bharatas divided

at

an early date into two great sec-

were known in antiquity, as Kuru-Pancalas and Kauravas and Paijdavas, and afterwards as Gaudians and Dravidians, and as Kuruvas or Kurumbas and Mallas or tions, whicli

Malayas, etc. All these names, too, are derived from words which denote mountains. However nearly related these tribes were to each other, they never lived together in close friendship,

and although they were not always per-

haps at open war, yet feelings of distrust and aversion seem always to have prevailed.

Though

was was incumbent on me to verify my statements by the best means available. In order to do so, I had to betake myself to the fields of very

positive evidence in favour of mj^ assertions

difficult to obtain, still,

language and religion, which

it

in matters of this

kind are

the most reliable and precious sources of information.

For

language and religion manifest in a peculiar manner the mental condition of men, and thouoii both

aim and both

is

result, yet the

mind which

differ

directs

the same, so that though they

in their

and animates

work

in different

grooves, the process of thinking is in both identical. Besides the mental character,

we must not

complement which

supplied by ethnology, and in this

is

neglect the physical

case the physical evidence of ethnology supports thoroughly

the conclusions at which I had arrived from consulting the

language and religion of the inhabitants of India. In the

first

two bi'anohes linguistic

and

two parts of

the

I

have treated separately of the

Bharatas,

relying

historical material at

my

mainly on the

disposal concerning

the ethnological position of the Dravidians and Gaudians.

The

principal Gauda-Dravidian tribes

over the length and breadth of tinent

are,

in

who

live scattered

the vast

Indian con-

order to establish their mutual

separately introduced into this discussion.

kinship,

This method

Vn

PBEIACE.

may

minds of some readers an impression that the several topics are somewhat disconnected, but this create in

tlie

arrangement was necessitated by the peculiarity ject of

my

of the sub-

inquiry.

In pursuing the ramifications of the Bharatan, or GaudaDravidian, population throughout the peninsula, I hope I

have been able

between several each

other.

point out

to

tribes,

have tried thus

I

the

connexion existing

apparently widely different from to identify the so-called

Pariahs of Southern India with the old Dravidian mountaineers and to establish their

Brahuis,

Mhars, Mahars,

and other

tribes; all these tribes

first

relationship to the Bhars,

Paharias,

Paradas

Paravari,

forming, as

were, the

it

layer of the ancient Dravidian deposit.

manner

I

In a similar have identified the Candalas with the fii*st section

which was reduced to abject slavery by Aryan invaders, and shown their connexion with the ancient Kandalas and the present Gonds. In addition to this, of thp G-audian race

the

I trust I

have proved that such apparently diiJerent tribes

as the Mallas,

are one

and

Pallas,

all

Pallavas, Ballas,

Bhillas

and others

oiishoots of the Dravidian branch,

the Kolis, Kois, Khonds, Kodagas, Koravas,

and that

Kurumbas

and others belong to the Gaudian division, both branches forming in reality only portions of one a,nd the same people,

whom

I prefer to call, as I

Where

there

is

to

said,

much room

so

enough, of course, to

have

for conjecture,

fall into error,

be told that many of

my

Bharatas.

and

it is

easy

I shall be prepared

conclusions are erroneous and

the hypotheses on which they are built fanciful. But though

much

of

shall yet

and

what be

I

have written may be shown

satisfied

I shall

if,

to

in the main, I establish

deem myself amply repaid

for

be untenable,

I

my contention, my labor if I

succeed in restoring the Gaudian and Dravidian to those rights and honors of which they have so long been deprive d

PEHFACE.

In the third part which treats on Indian Theogony

I

have

endeavoured to give a short sketch of some of the most

prominent features of the Aryan and non-Aryan beliefs. After noticing briefly the reverence which the Yedic hymns display towards the Forces of Nature, which develops gradually into the

acceptance of a Supreme Being {Brahmayi),

go on to show how the idea of an impersonal God, a perception too high and abstract to be grasped by the masses of

I

the population, gradually gave place to the recognition of a personal Creator, with whom were associated eventually the two figure-heads of Preservation

and Destruction,

all

these three together forming the Trimurti as represented by Brahman, Visi;iu and Siva.

About the time that the ancient Vedie views began to of the existem^e of a Supreme

undergo a change, and the idea .Spirit impressi.'d itself

on the minds of the thoughtful,

tlie

non-Aryan Pi-inciple of the Female Energy was introduced This dogma which originated with into the Arvan system. the Turanian races of Asia, and was thus also acknowledged in ancient

Babylonia, soon exercised a powerful influence,

and pervaded the whole religion of the Aryans in India. Its symbol was in India the Salagrama-stone, which Visnu afterwards appropriated as his emblem. have further

I

tried

to

show how the contact with the

non- Aryan population aifected the belief of the Aryans

and modified some

was

of the features of their deities.

Brahman

thus, by assimilating himself with the non- Aryan chief-

god and demon-king Aiyauar, transformed into a Brahmabhuta, while the very same Aiyanar was changed into Siva

demon-king or Bhutanatlia, and Visnu became e;radually identified by a great section of the Brahmanic community with the Female Principle'and taken in his position as

for

Uma.

The

religions opinions of the original inhabitants

were

PEEPACE.

on the other hand not

left

IX

unchanged

intercourse with the Aryans, and

as the result of their

many

ideas and

many

of

the deities of the invader were received into their religion.

The prominent features

of this religion lay in the adoration

of the Principle of the

Female Energy, or

Sakti, as repre-

sented by the chief local goddess or Grramadevata, in the

acknowledgment of a Supreme God revered under such names as Aiyanar (Sasta), and in the worship of Demons. I trust

now

that the racial unity of

the great majority

the Indian population has been established by this

of

research based mainly on linguistic and theological evidence, as

it

has also been proved independently by ethno-

logical enquiries.

In order to perpetuate by an outward sign the of the

racial union

overwhelming majority of the population of India,

I

venture to suggest that the inhabitants of this country would

do

were

well, if they

national

name

to

assume the ancient, honorable and remembering that India has

of Bharatas,

become famous as Bharatavarsa, the land

of

the Bharatas.

it was only possible for somewhat imperfect manner,

In such a multitude of subjects,

me

to formulate

my ideas

in a

without being able to treat separately every particular subject as thoroughly and completely as I

had wished

that I

am

to treat

it.

1

make

it

deserved, and as

this observation to

show

fully cognizant of the incompleteness of this

enquiry, but, I trust, I have at least succeeded in clear its purport

and

significance.

If time

making

and circum-

had permitted, I should have added some chapters on some essential topics, and enlarged the scope of others, but my impending departure from India has compelled me If this book should be deemed worthy of to be brief. edition, I hope to be able to remedy these defects. another stances

It is

here perhaps not out of place to mention, that the

first

portions of this book appeared some years ago, the

PREFACE. first

Part being priDted as early as 1888j and

it is

possible

that the publication of this work in fragments has been

attended with some disadvantages. I

am

thus well aware of the

tion like thisj but I trust that

without use,

if,

many even

defects in a publica-

my

errors

may

not be

like stranded vessels, they serve to direct

the explorer, warning him

away from the shoals and rocks

that beset the enquirer in his seai'ch after truth.

GUSTAV OPPERT. Madras,

14/A.

February, 1893.

CONTENTS. PART

I.

INTRODUCTION.

CHAPTER

I.

PAGE.

General Remarks

1-3

Remarks Remarks

Philological

Historical

3-8

...

8-13

Division between Gaudians and Dravidians

13

THE DRAVIDIANS.

CHAPTER The names

of ancient kings

the people over

whom

II.

and Asuras indicate the names

they ruled

...

...

of ...

...

14,15

Beginning of peaceful Intercourse and Inter-marriage between

Aryans and Dravidians

...

...

CHAPTER

...

...

...

16,17

III.

On the Mallas

18-25

Explanation of the terms Dravida, Tamil and A ravam

25-30

CHAPTER On

the Pariah

(Parata,

PahSria),

IV.

Brahui,

Bar

(Bhar),

M;

30-70

(Mhar), &c

31-33

Derivation of the word Pariah

On the On the On the On the

Brahuis

34-37

...

Bars or Bhars

37-47

...

Mars, Mhars, Mahars, Mhairs or Mers

-• Maravar Religious and Social privileges enjoyed by Pariahs Wrong Derivation of the terms Holeya and Pulaya

Caste distinctions

On

the Vallnvar

among .,

Pariahs

;

Right and Left Hand Castes

47-49 49,50 50-56 56,57

57-66 66-70

CONTENTS.

Xll

CHAPTER

V. PAOB.

On the Pallar, Pallavas, Pulayar, Ballas (Bhallas) On the name of the Pallas and Pallavas

70-89

Bhils, Pulindae,

70-73 73-75

On the Pajlar On the Pulayar On the Ballaa On the Bhils On the Pnlindas On Pulaha, Pnlastya, Puloman, &c.

75-77

...

.

78-82 79-85

85-87

.

87-89

CHAPTER On On On

VI.

the Pallis, Agnikulas, Paiidyas, Vellalar, &c.

the Agnikulae

...

..

...

89-108

...

94-100

...

100,101

...

101-108

89-94

...

the Pallis

Different meanings of the

word

Palli

...

...

...

Explanation of the words Pandya, Vellala, Ballala, Bhillala

PART

II.

THE GAUDIANS.

CHAPTER Philological

Remarks

VII.

...

109-112

Application of the term Gaudian

112-114

Explanation of the use of Gaiula as a tribal name On the name Kolarian

114r-121

CHAPTER

VIII.

On the Kolis (Kulis), Kolas On the Gaulis On the Kulindas, Kuliitas, &o. ...

133-141

...

CHAPTER

121-133

141, 142 142, 143

IX.

On the Kois, Konds, Kands, Gouds On the Oaadalas On the names Khandobii, Khandesh, Gondaja, On Gondophares

143-155 155, 156

&c.

156-159 160, 161

XUl

CONTENTS.

CHAPTER X Page. 162-167

On the Kocjagas On the Koragas On Hubasika and Huviska

On the Todas On the Kotas

168-180 171-178 180-193

...

193-196

%

CHAPTER XI On the Kuravas (Kuruvas, Kurumas), Koracaru. On the Kurus (Yerakulas) and Kaurs On the Kunnuvaa and Kunavarie

CHAPTER

197-201

201-210 210-215

XII.

the Kurubas or Kurumbas Remarks about the name Kurumba On the sub-divisions among the Kurumbas On their religion, manners and customs ... On our historical knowledge about the Kurumbas

215-260

On Adonda Cola On Toudamandalam On the Kallas under the Tondaman of Pudukota On the Kurmis, Kumbis or Kunbis On the origin of the term Kadamba

246-253

On

...

...

215-220

220-234 235-242 242-260

253-257 ..

257-260 261-264

264-270

^

/^

PART

III.

INDIAN THEOGONY.

CHAPTER Introductory Remarks

On Vedio Deities On Vedio Creation On the Trimurti

.

XTII. 271-274 274-279

279-283 283-284

CONTENTS.

CHAPTER BiTihmfi

XIV. 11

Page. fieneral

On On

284-288

Eemarke

the present Worship of the Brahmabhilta

288-296

Brahman

296-306

...

CHAPTER XV Visnu.

General Remarks

306-311

On the "Deluge ... On the Yugas ... On the Salagrama-stone On the modification of the worship On Visiiu's wives

311-32S

328-337 337-359 of Visnu

359-362

362-364

CHAPTER

XVI.

§iva.

General Remarks

364-371

On

371-33G

the Linga

CHAPTER

XVII,

ParamatTYian.

On Paramatman, the Supreme

Spirit

CHAPTER

386-397

XVIII.

Introductory Remarks

397-418

On Uma, Amma, Amba On Drvi (Durga), etc. On Sakti'a participation at the creation On the origin of the worship of the various Saktis On the VidySdevis, llatrs and Gramadevata.?

CHAPTER

418-J22

422-439 440-444 445-447

447-450

XIX.

Qrnmadevataa, Aiyannr 2m

peda

meta,

;

patein, batein, &c.

but nowhere

;

becomes

palkiii, ballein,

and

else does there exist

such

membras, bembras

;

e.g.,

;

a variety and difference of pronunciation as in the vernacular Their system of writing is a proof languages of India. of this fact.

sounds

has, e.g., only one sign

Tamil

belonging to each of the five classes

1

different sounds

are expressed

by

five

for the four

in fact 20

;

and even

letters,

where, as in Telugu, these 20 sounds are provided with 20

1

d dh used

s ;

for k, kh, g,

and

k, c,

I,

u t

gh

;

for p, ph, b,

and

p,

jh L fort, tt, d, ih /S for t, th, transliteration accordingly are only their In bh.

i^ for c, ch,,j,

which indicate the

;

letter,

;

but not the sound.

ON THE ORIGINAL INHABITANTS

4

still remains so unoerdistinct characters, tlie pronunciation the late Mr. 0. P. Brown tain, that in his Telugu Dictionary

arranged these four

letters respectively

The

under one head.

continual percause of this striking peculiarity and these indefinite proin doubt no partly found mutations is to be

nunciation and dialectical divergencies, but mainly in the

enforcement of the over-stringent and artificial rules of Sandhi or Euphony, which affect alike vowels and consonants, and which do not, e.g., permit a word in the middle

strict

Local differences in

of a sentence to begin with a vowel.

pronunciation exist in India as well as in other countries. these the interchanges between tcnues and

Amongst

iiiccliae

them in Wales and in German are to this day conSaxony, where the tenues j), t, and vice versa. mediae b, d, and or founded with the g, are most

common

;

we

find

A-

The

three Dravidian

ently they

may

I'a

(lev, Im-

and

I

te)

however

differ-

be pronounced, are only varieties of the same

sound and are therefore interchangeable, thus, ?.(/., the Sanskrit phidaiii

becomes

viu/him

LDeusuih

Tamil

in

jjff/«m ueuii, or palaiii ulpld,

becomes maUam LDeir&rLh,

is also spelt

veUalan Qsj sir err rrifissr,

called pnlli

udjsS

The harsher sound

is

generally used

where these pronounce an lisp

a,

jfi

which

I,

eb

letter is

prevailing specially in

As

and a

[valli auajsS), palli

the different

/'s

I

ot

err

interchange between each other,

like a double

^

it

and

classes,

Malayalam and Tamil.

;

Tamil

is

urrifi.

a high caste-man will

nounced in Tamil somewhat

^

town

or pdli

probably a modern innovation

the two Dravidian r and r

o and

village or

uotj-ctA,

by the lower J,

while

relldlan Qsneiren-rrsmisr

^

a hard double

and p, Tolugu S and es

Kanarese

//,'

pp

so

do

rr is pro-

which ciroum-

d and

fee,

Malayalam

o,

Tho Tamil

pp

in

represented occaaionally in Telugu

Tamil l-\p^, pnrru, corresponds

to the

Telugu

B&4.-'

piitja.

\\y

ks

e.g.,

the

OF BHARATAVAR8A OE INDIA. stance

a proof of the relationship between the r and

is

lingual d and the r and

I

sounds will not create any surprise.

common

of these changes are pretty

occur in the

A

t

After this statement the permutation between the

sounds.

Some

5

Aryan

elsewhere

;

they

as well as in the Dravidian languages.

further peculiarity of the Dravidian languages, and

especially of Tamil, is their dislike to beginning words with

compound

letters

:

Brahma becomes Piramam,

handha, pirapantam, lSituje^lo

i3irLDih

;

pra-

graniha, kirantam, Qit^^ld.

In consequence of indistinct pronunciation and the desire for

abbreviation,

initial

and medial consonants are often

beginning or in the middle of words, while on

dropped

at the

the other

hand in opposition

is

beginning with a vowel.

whose

initial

tendency a half -consonant

consonants,

core

e.g., vella,

vowel

—a

is

and are

and

white, in Telugu becomes ella and yelki,

yesa, the

name

of the Billavar of ;

Travan-

Velur becomes Elur and

This practice of prefixing a half-consonant before an

initial

y

word from

thus occasionally meet words

becomes Ilavar and Yilavar

Teltir.

u,

We

consonants are dropped and replaced by half-

vesa, haste, esa

0,

to this

prefixed to an initial vowel, in order to prevent a

is

generally enforced in the middle of a sentence,

and

thus placed before an

a, e,

The half-consonant

au.

is

i,

and

ai

and a

v before

used to avoid an hiatus

why the University- degrees M.A. and B.A. pronounced by many Natives Yam Ya and Be Ya.

this explains

Metathesis

likewise of not unfrequent occurrence in the

is

Dravidian languages. occurrence, in kurudai,

the town

Madura

;

It

is

e.g.,

even found in words of

for hidii-ai, horse

;

in Verul for Elora (Velur or Ballora); in

Vaikdiam {emw^irffLc) and Vaikaii [(saensirffl) and Vaiidkhi in the Telugu agapa and abaka, ;

common

in Marudai for

for

Vai&SMmn

ladle, &o.

Another peculiarity is to drop one of two consonants in a syllable and to lengthen the vowel if it happens to be short, or to double a consonant and to shorten the vowel,

ON THE ORIGINAI- INHABITANTS

6 if it

happens to be long;

e.g.,

^csfcgto ceyyutaiov ^cxSo^^

cei/uta, Velldlan for Veldlan, Palla for Pdla, &c.

It will be readily perceived that this laxity of pronun-

wide

ciation affords a that, if

we choose

as

field for philological conjectures, and an example the representative name of

Mara and

the Mdlla or Palla tribe, a variety of forms for

Malla, or Para and Palla, which actually occur, can be re-

common

traced to the

sound

source,

and thus be shown

The task which a philologist has one and ought to make him cautious.

basis.

a serious

and unexpected

many

larity of

difficulties also arise

have a is

Considerable

from the great

simi-

Sanskrit and Dravidian words with Mara,

Malla and their derivatives.*

The

explanations of names of

persons, tribes, places, &c., so readily tendered '

to

to perform

A fe'W of such, eimilar words are in Sanskrit

by the Natives

para, other, ^ato, m., straw, pond, psM, m., ^M?a, m., n., ploughshare, ^AwKa, open, :

n., flesh, pala, m., barn, pallava, m., u., sprout, palvala, m.,

guard, ^«te great, ^/iaZa, n. fruit, bala, n., power, bali, m., oblation, bala, young, bhala, u.., forehead, mara, killing, mala, n., dirt, malli, f., jasmine, mdra, killing, mala, n., field, mala, f., garland, valla, covering, vallabha, m., lover, valli (j), f., creeper, &c.; in Tamil: ,

alam, plough, alii, lily, alliyam, village of herdsmen, alai, cave, dlatn., water, palar (palldr), many persons, palam, strength, fruit, flesh, pali, sacrifice, pal, tooth, pallam, bear, arrow, palli, lizard, palam, old, palam, fruit, pali,

blame, palai, hole, pallam, lowness, paUayam (pallait/am) ofiering to demons, woman, pal, milk, palam, bridge, palar, herdsmen, palai, a,Tid, pali, cave, village, pdlayam (pdlaiyam) country, camp, pali, encampment, ,

pallaicci, dwarfish

palai, palmtree, pilli,

meanness,

piillii,

demon, pulam,

grass, pullam,

malar, flower, maJai,

hill,

ricefield, puldl, flesh, pulai, flesh, pul,

ignorant, pulli, lizard, malam, excretion,

mal, boxing, mallam, strength, malli, jasmine,

r/iallu,

wrcstUng, malai, rain, mallam, strength, mal, greatness, mullai, jasmine, mid, miillu, thorn, mel, above, valam, rightside, valam, power, vali, strength, t>ff/», strong, «'«/«(', net, rallar, strong persons, yaKajipan, beloved, vallavan, shepherd, valli, woman, village, valliyam, vUlage of shepherds, valuli, poetical epithet of the Pandya kings, valappam, valamai, valam, valan, strength, valavan, epithet of Cola, vallam,

plantain, ral, sword, velli, silver, vel,

ala,

vil,

bow,

com

villi,

measure, valliyam, pipe, pepper,

Manmatha,

vel,

vdlai,

white, vellam, inundation, &c.; in Teluyu:

lance, veli, village, veljim, sugarcane -reed,

wave, ala [alia), then, alii, water, lily, alle, bowstring, c^«, young, ella, white {vella), palla (pulla), red, reddish, pdlemii, camp, pallemu,

all, limit,

saucer, pala, cat,

name

puli {pulla),

of a tree, white, jay, pdlu, share, milk, pilla, child, pilli, sour, puli, tiger,

pulu

fptillu),

bench, bhdli, affection, mala, mountain, malumii,

grass, piilla, piece, balla, dirt,

main,

again, malla

'

or BHARATAVARSA OR INDIA. of India

7

and seemingly supported by some legendary and must be viewed with extreme caution

historical evidence,

and

distrust.

It

a statement of

is

"this

uncommon

not an

occurrence to

kind, and afterwards to

roborative evidence.

This

is

make cor-

often not done with any desire

to mislead, but rather because

speculative ingenuity.

invent

If, e.g.,

it

affords a fair display for

a rich

acquires a Paraiceri, he will alter

its

man

of a high caste

name

so as to

the low origin of his property and to impart to

it

hide

a sacred

Near Madras is situated the well-known hill Its name in Tamil is Parahgi called St. Thomas' Mount. Malai or Mountain of the Franks or Europeans, from the Some original European or rather Portuguese settlement. was established there and ago Brahman settlement years a the name of Parangi Malai was no longer deemed respectThenceforth it was changed to Bhrngi Malai, the able. mountain of the sacred Bhrngi, and eventually in support appearance.

of

this

appellation legendary

evidence

was not slow in

forthcoming.*

again, malle {ynallelu), jaemine, mala {male, mdlilca), garland, mdli, gardener, male, house, mula {mullu) thorn, mule, corner, mella, hall, melamu, fun, melu, good, upper, maila, unclean, vala, right, net, valla, stratagem, valle, ,

noose, vdli, custom, valu, long, sword, vilu [villu), how, vllu, expedient, vela, price, vella, white, rellui-a, flood, vela, limit, vela, time, vein 1000, toe, &c.

Considering the changes the letters undergo in Dravidian words, when and pala, flesh, hecomes ptilai and is also written veUddu Valluru is also written Vdluru, Velluru, Telluru, &c., similar alterations need not create any great surprise, especially if it is admitted that small orthographical changes assist their heing the more easily distinguished. As an illustration how the names of the Mallas and Pallas appear in local appellations I only add as an example a, few such names as Mallapur,

pallddu, goat,

Vellapur, Ballapur, VaUapur, YaUapur, Allapur, EUapur, Yellapur, Illapur, ViUapur, Volluru, TJUapur, Vullapur, Mftlavur, Palavur, Balapur, Vfilapur, Yalapetta, Elapur, Elavur, Velapur, Yelagiri, &c., &c. 5 An example of the spurious character of similar writings is exhibited hy Pallapur,

the Sthalapurana that contains the origin of the Gunmjbag-weavers, which, though of recent origin, is hy some incorporated in the Brahmanda Purana. A curious instance of the alteration of a name is supplied hy the Barber's bridge near St. Thom^ in Madras. It was originally named Mamilton's

ON THE ORIGIXAL INPIABITAXTS

8

might appear that when so many changes are possible, no reliance can be placed on such evidence, but these permutations do not all take place at the same time, indeed dialectiIt

cal pronunciation selects

some

letters in preference to others.

The northern Hindu pronounces,

a B, where the southern

prefers a F, and both letters occur only in border districts thus no B is found in the names of such places situated in

;

the Ohingleput, South- Arcot, Tanjore, Trichinopoly, Madura., Tinnevelly, and Malabar districts, while in South-Kanara,

Ganjam and Mysore

a

Fis seldom

used.

These few preliminary philological remarks are absolutely necessary to facilitate the understanding of the subsequent discussion.

The important

position

which language occupies

in such a research as the present was well pointed out more

than forty years ago, by the Pioneer of North-Indian Ethnology, the learned B.

preface to his

first

H. Hodgson, when he wrote

Essay

:

"

And

the

primitive races the stronger becomes there

is

no medium

and accurate data

more I

my

in the

see of these

conviction that

of investigation yielding

such copious

as their languages."

Historical Eemaeks.

Turning from these

know

as a fact that

when

linguistic

to

historical topics,

we

tracing the records of any nation or

country as far back as possible, we arrive at a period when all

authentic or provable accounts cease.

reached the prehistoric stage.

epoch can never be

verified.

What

When

We

have then

occurred during that the mist

of historic

darkness disappears from the plains and mountains

of

a

country, the existing inhabitants and their dwellings become

bridge after a gentleman of that name. The word Samilton, being difficult to pronounce in Tamil, was changed into amattan (common form for ampattan) which means in Tamil a Imrbcr, whence by retrauslation into English the bridge was called Barber's bridge.

OF BHAKATAYARSA OR INDIA.

but whether these are in reality the

visible,

H

and

first settlers

their abodes the first erected, is another question

which does

not properly belong to the domain of history, so long as

we

are unable to assert its relevancy or to find an answer to

it.

Whether the people

whom we first hear in may be doubtful but

of

really its aborigines

;

So far

as historical traces can be

rinth of Indian antiquity, lived

and

so

long as no

be discovered, they must be regarded

earlier inhabitants can

as such.

a country are

tilled the soil

it

found in the laby-

was the Gauda-Dra vidians who

and worked the mines in India.

This discussion does not concern the so-called Kolarian tribes, is

whose connection with the ancient history of India

we

so very obscure, that

possess hardly

any

historical

accounts about them.

and apparently irreconcilable may appear the differences exhibited by the various Gauda-Dravidian tribes in their physical structure and colour, in their

However

considerable

language, religion, and

art, all

these differences can be satis-

factorily accounted for by the physical peculiarities of the localities

they inhabited, by the various occupations they

followed,

and by the

political status

which regulated their

For every one must be aware of abode and change in position have

domestic and social habits. the fact that change of

worked, and are working, the most marvellous alterations in the physical and mental constitution nations.

Language, especially the

of

spirit

individuals

and

which pervades

it^

is the most enduring witness of the connection which exists between nations, and with its help we can often trace the

continuity of descent from the same stock in tribes seemingly

widely different.

From

the north-west across to the north-east, and from

both corners to the furthest south, the presence of the GaudaDravidian race in India can be proved at a very early period. the arrival of the Aryans on the north-western fronfound in flourishing tier, the Gauda-Dravidians are already

On

ON THE ORIGINAL INHABITANTS

10

But

communities.

successive

waves of the Aryan invasion,

by the

accession of former opponents

swelled in their course

who had

despaired of successful resistance, must soon have

flooded over the Gauda-Dravidian settlements.

Some by

ground against

their prowess were able to maintain their

the invaders, while others, defeated, left their abodes and

Yet even the North,

emigrated towards the South.

though

it

subject

became in time to the Aryan or rather Brahmanical

sway, can never be said to have been totally conquered by force of arms.

Still less

was

this the case

with the South,

where the Brahmanical influence always assumed a more

and

priestly character

kind, can hardly be lasting

;

it is more Even the Aryanised languages

powerful, since

less

and more thorough.

of North-India

which though of another

influence,

deemed

civic

— however they may prove the mental superiwho were able to force on their defeated mode of thinking manifest their origin

ority of the invaders

—

foes their peculiar

in their vocabularies

and show the

press on the vanquished their of both, victors

new

dialects,

observable

is

own language. The languages

and vanquished, amalgamated and formed diflerence which exists between the

and the

abstract synthetic Sanskrit

Dravidian

inability of the victors to

and the concrete agglutinated This difference

clearly expressed.

when we compare on

the one

is

easily

hand the construction

Aryanised languages, as Benand Marathi, which possess a considerable substratum of a non-Aryan element, and on the other hand the conof Sanskrit with that of such

gali

struction of Latin

with that of the

French and Spanish, which Aryan. I have alluded to of

Languages."

may

Neo- latin languages

be considered as entirely

this fact in

Hindustani

is

my

" Classification

a fair specimen of such a

miscegenation of languages.

The

mention of a Gauda-Dravidian word is to be In the first book of Kings, x. 22 we read as follows For the king had at sea a navy of Tharshish earliest

found in the Bible. :

OF BHARATAVARBA OR INDIA, ivith the

navy of Hiram

Tharshish, peacocks.'"

bringing

The

«

a peacock

once in three years came the navy of

gold,

and

(tUki)

of

with tokai

known

is

{tokai

The

or togai),

Malayalam,

identification of tukki

very old indeed, and

The mere

and

word

peacock and eventually

in the early editions of the

Wilhelm Gesenius.'

apes,

tukkiyyim, a

It exists in Telugu, Tamil,

itself.

Kanarese, Gondi and elsewhere.

well

is

Gauda-Dravidian toka

signifies the tail of a

and

ivory,

silver,

expression for peacocks

derired from the

which originally

;

11

is

already quoted as

Hebrew

dictionary

fact that the sailors of

Solomon and Hiram designated a special Indian article by a Gauda-Dravidian word, renders it j)robable that the inhabitants with

whom

they traded were Gauda-Dravidians and

that Gauda-Dravidian was the language of the country.

Aryan enough it

The

influence could at that time hardly have been strong

upon Aryan term. Moreover^ the peacock is a common all over India, and it is highly

to supplant the current vernacular, or to force

a Prakritised

well-known bird,

improbable that the Gauda-Dravidians should have waited for the arrival of the

Aryans

to

name

it,

or should have

dropped their own term in order to adopt in

stead an

its

Aryan one. The vocal resemblance between the Hebrew hopk and the Sanskrit kapi is most likely accidental. The ancient Egyptians, who kept monkeys in their temples, Besides it cannot at all be assumed called a monkey kdf. that

the

monkeys.

sailors of the fleet

May

OnomatopoiStikon

of Tharshish did not

not koph, kdf, kapi, &c., after ?

all

know be an

Another word which proves the connection

of the Gauda-Dravidians with foreign nations

is

supplied

by

« The Hetrew worda in 1 Kings, x. 22, are Oni Tharsts noseth sdMb vakeseph senhahbim veqopMm vethukkiyylm. 2 Clironioles, ix. 21, has a long u and reads vethUkkiyyl'm. The derivation of senhaHim is still doubtful. ' See also my lecture On the Ancient Commerce of India, p. 25. The :

Abmiggim or Algummim from valgu as the sandalwood is called ix. 10, 11, 1 Kings, x. 11, 12, and 2 Chronicles, ii. 7 very doubtful, and I hesitate to derive it from Sanskrit.

derivation of

in different places, is

;

ON THE ORIGINAL INHABITANTS

12

the Greek word oryza for

rice,

which corresponds to the

Q-auda-Dravidian arUi, and not to the Sanskrit

The Aryan

invaders showed

little

vrlhi.^

sympathy with the

inhabitants they found on the confines and in the interior of India. these

The outward appearance of the Dasas or Dasyus were the names with which the new-comers honoured

their opponents

—was

not such as to create a favourable

impression, and thoy were in consequence taunted with their

black colour and

appear as

if

flat noses,

which

they had no noses.

latter

Indra

is

made

their faces

invoked to reduce

Dasas and

into the darkness of subjection the colour of the

to protect the colour of his worshippers, for the latter were

not always successful in the combats, and the Dasas at times

turned

the tables on their foes by becoming

victorious

aggressors.

So far as

civilisation

is

concerned, a great difference

when they However rude may have been the bulk of the indigenous population, a considerable portion of it must could hardly have existed between the two races

first

met.

have already attained a certain degree of cultivation.

It

was

no doubt the wealth which they had acquired that stimulated the invaders to pursue their conquests, even

*

See

my

lecture

On

when

the Ancient Commerce of India, p. 37

-

a brave

" Of grains

Eice formed an important commodity. The cultivation of rice extended in ancient times only as far west as to Bactria, Susiana, and the Euphrates

The Greeks most likely obtained their rice from India, as this country alone produced it in sufSoient quantity to he ahle to export it. Moreover the Grecian name for rice oryza, for which there exists no Aryan or Sanskrit root, has heen previously identified by scholars with the TamU word arisi, which denotes rice deprived of the husk. This was exactly the

valley.

The Greeks besides connected rice geneAthenaBos quotes oryza hepJithe, cooked rice, as the food of the Indians, and Aelianus mentions a wine made of rice as an Indian beverage. If now the Greek received their rice from India, and the name they called this grain by is a Dravidian word, we obtain an additional proof of the non- Aryan element represented in the Indian trade." Aral, rice, occurs also in Keikadi, and nriselti, ricecakes, in Telugu. state in

which

rice

rally with India.

was exported.

OF BHARATAVARfciA OR INDIA.

and stubborn

resistance

13

warned the Aryans not

despair the various chieftains

who had

The bravery

mountain strongholds.

the admiration of their opponents.

to drive

to

retreated to their

of the

Dasas excited

Indra himself occasion-

Aryan priest deigns to accept and the divine Asvins partake even of his food. Though both the terms Dasyii and Ddsa originally denote a destroyer, at times a malevolent superhuman being, and at times in contrast to Arya, an enemy of the gods or a wicked man, and are in this sense specially applied to the aboriginal ally protects the Dasas, the his offering,

races

who

stood outside the

Brahmanical

pale,

yet the

expression Ddsa continued to be contemptuously used

Aryan against a

another,

common menial

till it

by one

became in time equivalent to

or slave.

Division between Gaudians and Dravidians.

The foemeu whom

the Aryans

generally brave mountaineers in their

numerous

who

first

encountered were

offered a stout resistance

Indeed, most tribal names of the

castles.

inhabitants of India wiE. be shown to refer to mountains.

The two

special

Gauda-Dravidian terms

mala {malai, par, pdrdi, &c.) kora,

Both kinds

&c.).

and ko

for

mountain are

{konda, kuru, Jcunru,

and names of

of expressions are widely used

prevail throughout India.

Hence

are derived the

the Mallas, Mdlas, Mdlavas, Malayas^-^ &c., and of the Koyis, Kodiilu, Kondas,

Gondas, Gaiidas, Kurums^, &c.

future call those tribes whose

names

I shall in

are derived from mala

Dravidians^ and those whose names are derived from ko

Gaudians.

'

Conoeming

ya, Malla

and

the single and doutle I which is found respectively in Malait should be considered that the Dravidian

in their derivatives,

languages do not possess fixed orthographical rules regarding proper names and that single and douhle letters are often used indifferently. A mountaineer is thus generally described in South-India as Malayan or Malaiyan, while Kalian also denotes an inhabitant ot a mountainous district.

ON THE ORIGINAL INHABITANTS

14

PART

I.

THE DRA VIDIANS. CHAPTEE

II.

Kings and Asueas indicate the names of the people over whom they eulel).

The names

Among vidians,

of Ancient

the tribes

and people

regard as Dra-

I

whose names are derived either directly from Mala

or from cognate terms,

and who are

Mallas or Pallas, which term

Maharas

or

is

Malas),

same race

of the

chosen on

may mention

presentative designation, I

Mahars,

whom

p.

the Maras (Mhn.rs,

Maravar,

Maris,

as the

6 as their re-

Pariahs,

Parjas, Paravar, Paravari, JJo^povapoi, Paratas, Hapovrat,,

Paradas, Parheyas, Bars

(Bhars,

{MaXKoi, Malli), Malas

Mallas Arayar,

Malacar,

Malayalis,

Bdppai), Brahuis

;

the

(Mais or Maras), Mala

Malavas,

(Malvas),

Malair

(Maler or Paharias), Mallar or Pallar, the Palliyar, Polaiyar, Pulayar, Holiyar, Pulindas {UovXivhaC) Palas,

Pallavas

PaliSj

Plavas), Pandyas, Ballas, Bhallas, rat),

Bhillalas,

Ballalas,

Vallambams), Valluvar,

Pundras,

,

Pahlavas,

(Palhavas^

Bhils

Vellalar,

Pallis,

Pahnavas,

(Bhillas,

^vXkl-

Velamas (Vallamas,

&c.^°

The Rgveda only rarely confers Indians who opposed the Aryans, and

special

these

names on the

names wherever

they occur cannot be easily recognised and explained.

On

hand the Indian gods adopted, particularly the names of the demons they had defeated in

the other

in later times,

'" The Mftvglla or Mdvellaka whom Lassen in his Indische Alterthumsknnde (vol. I, p. 751, or 605) identifies with the Megalloi of Megasthenea as occupying Mflrwar, might perhaps ho added to this list.

OF BHAllATAVAESA OR INDIA. comlDat in order to perpetuate the A.

memory

15

of their victories.

natural assumption leads one to infer that the names of

the conquered

demons

or Asuras represent those of the forces

they led to battle, and that the Asuras Malta, Bala, Bali, Bala, Bali or Vali, Vala

^^

and others were

chiefs of the

aboriginal race.

Krsna

is

the Asura

Ma lla

enemy

sana,

thus called Mallari,'^ the ;

Indra

is

renowned

or destroyer of the

enemy or

destroyer of

as Valadvis or

demon

Valana-

Vala,^' the brother

and as Balanasana and Balarati, enemy or destroyer Bala}^ Visnu goes by the name of Balidhvaiiisin,^^ for

of Vrtra,

of

he defeated the great giant king Bali in the shape of a

dwarf in the

Vamana

Avatara.

Eama

covers his

name with

doubtful glory by killing in unfair fight the mighty so-

monkey -king Bali or Yali, hence Rama's name Balihantr.

called

the brother of Sugriva

" Though Vala need not he taken in the Egvgda as a demon, he is regarded as such in later works. He may perhaps have been confounded later on with Bala. '2 Malldri or Ualhdrl is in the Maratha country regarded as an incarnais also called Khandoha. Or Valahhit, Valavrtraghna, Valavrtrahan, Valasudana, Valahantr,

tion of Siva, and 13

and Valarati.

" Or Balanisudana, Balahhit and Balasudana. ''

Or Balindama, Balibandhana and Balihan.

Bali or Mahahali was the

son of Virocana, and father of Bana. He ruled over the three worlds, estahlished, according to the Matsya-Purftna, at the desire of Brahma, the four castes, and was eventually reduced by Visnu to become the king of Patala.

He

is still

the most popular legendary king

lation, especially in South-India.

among

the whole

Hindu popu-

We find a Mahdbalipura

in the North, and near Madras in the South.

on the Son river The people remember to this Once a year Bali is said to

his sway. the earth, but this visit is not celebrated simultaneously throughout His greatest feast falls on the fuUmoon in the month of Karttiki, India. when the corn standing in the fields, the cow-houses, wells, and particularly the dwelling-houses, are illuminated with lamps. In Mysore popular songs are sung in his praise on the last day of the Navaratri. The Hindu people

day the prosperity enjoyed under visit

worship him also during the Pongal, when gourds (in Sanskrit kusmanda) are given to Brahmans. Bali is worshipped in Malabar on the Onam festival. He does not die and is one of the seven Cirajivins.

ON THE OEIGINAI, IMIABITANTS

16

Beginning or Peaceful Intercourse and Intermarriage BETWEEN Aryans and Deavidians.

With

Aryan immigration into India, their actual conquests ceased and the new comers, once established in the country, devised more peaceful means to Colonists and misperpetuate and extend their power. visited sionaries the hitherto unapproached provinces and tried to win by their superior knowledge and civilisation Intermarriage recommended the good will of the natives. itself as the most efficient means to gain this object, though the decrease of the

the race-pride of the conquering nation shrank from such misalliances.

In order to sanction them the example of the gods was needed, and Subrahmanya, the South-Indian representative of Xarttikeya, the son of Siva,

in wild forests

having chosen a South-Indian Valli

is

girl called

a well-known female

Pariahs and

who

delights to reside

and weird mountain tops

Pallar, the Pallis

is

Valli

credited with ^^

as his wife.

name common among

and other Sudras, and

corres-

ponds to the equally-widely used man's name Malla. is

also celebrated as the

Amman

of

the

Vaisnava gods."

Valli

The

'^ He 13 the presiding deity of many moimtains, as Tirupparahkunran Cdmimalai (or Palani), Cdln-imrilai, &c., and is thus, among other titles, called the ruler of the Palani mountain, Palani A^di or Andavar. Two wives are generally assigned to Subrahmanya. They are called DevasSna (contrauted in colloquial Tamil into Tsvanai) and VaUi. (ValliD^vasenftsameta-Subrahmanyasvamini? namah.) Subrahmanya is therefore

Tamil Vajlimanlnv)dlan, or husband of VaUi. " The popular derivation of Triplicane (Tiruvallikkeni) i from Alii, ^euetH, a kind of water lily which explanation I believe to be wrong.

also called in

;

According to the Sthalapui-ana of Triplicane Xdi-ada goes to Kailasa to ascertain from ParamSSvara the position of Brndarauya which lies north-east

The

sage Bhrgu lived there near a pond worshipped the 5 gods of the place, especially Ranganatha, who slept under a sandal tree. Near it Bhrgu found a little girl whom he gave to his wife to nurse. He called her Vedavalli, and married her in due time as VedavaUi Tayar to Ranganathasvami &o. The ancient temple tank in Triplicane is called Vedavallipuskarinl. of Tirunlrmalai near Pallavaram. full of lotus, called

Kairavinl.

He

OF BHARATAVARSA OR INDIA. principal goddess in Trix^lioane, who, as

whom

the Ksetram and to

Amman presides over

the temple-compound belongs,

Yedavalli.

The god Parthasarathi

her guest.i*

In Tiruvallur the

Chidambaram

17

is

is

only lodging there as

Amman

is

called Kanakavaili,

Rrimusnam Amhujavalli, in Kumbhakonam there are two, a Komalavalli and a Vijayavalli, in Mannargudi a Campakavalli, and in Tirumaliruncolai as well as in Nagapatam there is a Sundaravalli, &e. The derivation of Valli in these names from the Sanskrit in

Valli,

Pankajavalli, in

creeper, appears doubtful, especially if one considers

that Subrahmanya's wife,

Valli,

was a low-caste South-

Indian woman, that the Saiva preceded the Vaisnava creed,

and that Saiva temples were temples.

Parvati,

occasionally turned into Vaisnava

the wife of Siva and daughter of the

mountain Himalaya,

is

even worshipped as a Pariah This word

in her disguise as Matangl.

Matanga, which

'*

The

signifies a

difference between

is

woman

derived from

wild mountaineer.^*

Amman

and Ammal (both meaning mother)

that the former expression refers only to goddesses, while the latter applied both to goddesses and mortal women. is

" The Syamaladandaka ascribed ^l8ka concerning Matangl

to

Kalidasa

is

contains the following

:

Manikyavlnam upalalayantim madalasam manjulavagvilasam Mahendranilopalakomalanglm Matarigakanyam manasa smarami. It is perhaps not impossible that there exists a connection between Mdtanga and Mdlahga. The d and the I are occasionally interchanged, compare the Greek Saftpu with the Latin lacryma. The Malayalis consistently pronounce an I instead of a i, e.g., for tasmdt karonat they say tatmal karandl. In Marathi the word Matanga has been contracted into Ma*ga, seep. 66. Compare also the Dravidian roots pala aadpandu, old. Telugu has besides pandu also pdta.

The Amarako^a, II, Sudravarga (X) 20, 21, contains the following SlOkas concerning the Matanga and other out -castes. Canddla-Flai)a-Mdtanga-Livdkirti-Janangamdh Nifdda-Svapacdv-Antemsi-Cdnddla-Pukkasdh Slieddh R rdla-Sabarn-Fulindd Mlecchajatayah. i

3

ON THE ORIGINAL INHABITANTS

18

CHAPTEE

III.

The Mallas. The name

Mallas appears in various forma in

of the

As

Sanskrit literature.

the

name

of a people,

we meet

it

in Malaka, Malada, Malaja, Malla, Mallaka, Mallava, Mala,

Malava^ Malavarti^ &o.

as the

;

(Rahu), Malla (perhaps also garland, in

human

name

of a

Malyavan and Malini), &o.

being in

demon in Malayaja

not connected with maid,

if

as the

;

name

of a

Malayaketu^ Malayadhvaja, Malayanarapati,

Malayaprabha, Malayasimha, Malay agandhini, Malayavasini,

Malavi, &c.

;

as

the

name

of

country in Malaya,

a

Malayadesa, Malayabhnmi, Mallabhumi, Mallarastra, Mala,

Malava,

Malavadesa, Malavaka,

&o.

;

as the

name

of a

mountain or mountain-range in Malaktita, Malaya, Malayaparvata, Malayabhubhrt, Malayacala, Malayadri, Malyavan, &o.

as the

;

name

of a ricer in Malavi, &c.

;

as the

name

of a

town in Malayapura, Mallapura, Mallavastu, Mallaprastha, &c.

;

as the

name

Malayodbhava

of a plant in

(sandal)

;

Malayaja, Malayadruma,

Mallaja (Vellaja, black pepper),

&o., &c.

we include in this list some variations of the sound we may mention the three mind-born sons of Brahma, the famous Prajapatis Marici, Pulaha, and Pulastya, who had among their progeny the most reputed Daityas or Raksasas, as well as the demon Puloman, whom Indra killed, in order to obviate the curse pronounced against him for his having violated Puloman's daughter ^aei. The name Mai wi occurs also among the Daityas, Maraka among the nations, If

Malla,

and mallaja, black pepper,

is

likewise

called inarica

or

marica.

Maru means

in Sanskrit a desert and a mountain, and

the expression Marubhtl its

is

specially applied to

inhabitants as well as the

Mhars

Marwar, but

are the representatives

OF BHARATAYARSA OR INDIA. of

an old Dravidian

mpsuir, in

stock, like their

South-India.

It

that these tribes should

a foreign source, and

is

have

19

namesakes the Maravar,

in itself very improbable,

obtained their

name from

would not be very ventui-esome

it

to

conjecture without any further authentic proof, that there

word mar or marai synonymous Tamil words mar in the language of the

existed in the ancient Dravidian dialect a for mountain, corresponding to the

And

par and pdrai.

in fact

Marwar means hill, and the Mars Mhars are in reality kill men.^" The Mallas, as a nation, are repeatedly mentioned

original inhabitants of

or

in

the Mahabharata, Harivariisa, in various Puxanas, the Brhatsarhhita, the Lalitavistara

and elsewhere.

Mallarastra, which as well as

northern parts of India, occur in the bharata.

Mallabhiimi and

Malayabhumi

The Siddhantakaumudi mentions

refers to Panini,

which

latter

Dr. 0.

V.

V.

3,

refer to the

Eamayana and Mahain a passage that

114^ the Malldh instead of Bhallah,

expression

is

found in the commentary to

Bohtlingk's edition of Panini.

This quotation

is

significant as the Brhatsamhita mentions likewise the BhalBhalla and las, who represent the modern Bhillas or Bhils.

BhiUa

are identical with Malla

and are only

different pro-

nunciations or formations of the same word.

The Mallas

are specially brought to our notice

by the

circumstance that Buddha, the great reformer of India, The preferred to die among the Mallas in Kusinagara.

when they heard of the arrival of the dying saint, met him sorrowfully, and among the last acts of Buddha was

citizens,

This that he appointed the Malla Subhadra as an Arhat. connection of Buddha with the Mallas appears strange and Antiquities of Rajasthan; See Lieut. -Col. James Tod's Annals and The Mair or Mera is the mountaineer of 1829, vol. I, p. 680 or " the the country he inhaWts is styled Mainoarra, Eajpootana, 20

Louden

:

La

region of hills."

OS THE OKIGINAL INHABITANTS

20

Buddha was an Arj^an at Sakyamuni and bis relationship with the

strengthens the doubt whether

His name

all.

Sakya

of

race has been taken as a reason to associate his

with the Scythian

who

tribes,

name

had for some time previously

been invading north-western India.

However

this

may

be,

Buddha's friendship with the Mallas supports his non- Aryan origin. The enmity which existed between the kings of KoSala and the Sakya princes

is

of itself significant, leaving

altogether out of consideration the question whether

was a prince

or not.

Buddha

Moreover the inimical position which

Buddhism soon assumed towards Brahmanism, the

great

hold the former took on the non-Brahmanical population,

which rushed of

to

be received into

its fold,

makes the conjecture

Buddha's non- Aryan origin rather probable.

Another branch

of the Mallas

came

into collision with

Alexander the Great, while he was progressing towards

In the fight which

the South along the valley of the Indus.

ensued during his attack on their city he was, as

known, severely wounded.

is

well

This happened not far from the

present Multan, which word I assume to denote Mallasthana,

the place of the Mallas, not Mulasthana, as has been assiuned hitherto.

In

fact

Tirwels into Bokhara

styled

'

Malli than,'

Sir

Alexander Ill, p.

(vol.

or

'

Burnes 114) that

Mali tharun

'

states

in

" Mooltan

the place

his is

of the

Malli, to this day."

Malayaketu, the son of the mountain king Parvataka,

who

drama Mudraraksasa, represents the Malayabhumi, near the Himalaya while the Pandya kings Malayadhvaja, Malayanarapati, Malayaprabha, Malayasiiiiha and others are figures

in

the

northern branch of the Mallas, settled in

representatives of the south.

Even to this day the name of the Mallas is preserved among the population all over India, for the Malas (Mais),

OF BHARATAA^ARSA OR INDIA.

Mala Arayar

or

Malai Ara&ar, Malacar,

21

Malayalis, Mala-

^^

vas (Malvas), Malair (Maler or Paharias), Majlar,

Mars

(Maras, Mhars, Mahars, Maharas), Maris, Maravar, &c., as

named

they are

in different places, are found scattered all

over the country.

The word Malla

also

shows in

its

Tarious meanings

the vicissitudes to which individuals and nations are

all

alike exposed.

When the bearers of the name were prosperous

in the enjoyment of wealth and power, kings were proud to

combine the term Malla with their own appellation in order to

add further splendour

to themselves, so that the

word

Mallaha assumed also the meaning of royal, as in the Mrccha-

when

the wheel of fortune turned and the star

katika

;^^

of the

Mallas had sunk beneath the horizon, the former term

of

yet

honour became degraded into a byname

of

opprobrium

and was applied to the lowest population, so that Malavadu is in modem Telugu the equivalent of Pariah. Still

and

is

the recollection of former splendour cherished

among

Pariahs

the

is

or

not forgotten Malas.

The

Pariahs or Mahars of the Maratha country claim thus to

have once been the rulers of Maharastra.

And

improbable, for not only are the Mahars found

this is not

all

over the

country, but philological evidence

is also

old tradition divides the Dravida

and Grauda Brahmans

in their favour.

An into

^' See Lassen's Indische Alterthumskunde, vol. I, pp. 433, 434 (364), note 1: "Die Malasir (Malliars, Journal of the R.A.S., II, 336) im Waldgetirge Malabars, haben keine Brahmanen oder Guru, verehren als ihren Gott MaUung einen Stein. Auch die Pariar Malabar's haben in ihren Tempeln nur Steine." "Each village (of the Mala Arayar) has its priest, who, when required, calls on the Hill (Mala), which means the demon resident there ;" see Native Life in Travancore, by the Rev. S. Mateer, p. 77.

See note 28. 2^ Compare such names as Yuddhamalla, Jagadskamalla, TrailOtamalla, AhavamaUa, TribhuvanamaUa, &c. See about the Malla Era, Arehmolo-

of India, toI. VIII, p. 203 Theatre of the Hindus, toI. I, p. 134.

gioal Survey

ff,

and about Mallaka, Wilson's

ON THE OETGINAL INHABITANTS

22 five classes.

follows

The Slokas

whicli contain this statement are as

:

Maharastrandhradravidah karnataSoaiva gurjarah

Dravidah panoadha prokta Vindliyadaksinavasinali. Sarasvatah kanyakubja gaudotkalasoa maithilah.

Graudah pancavidlia prokta VindhyaduttaraTasinah.

Except the term Mahdrdstra all the other names refer Indian tribes. It may be presumed therefore that this is ,

to

true likewise in the case of Mahirastra, and that this name should not be explained by " Great Kingdom." Maharastra

was

called

also

Mallarastra, the

country of

the

Mallas.

The Mallas are the same as the Maras, who are better known as Mars or Mhars. Mhar was eventually transformed into Mahar in fact both forms exist in modern Marathi. Two terms identical in meaning Mallarastra and Mahdrdstra were thus used. The former dropped into ;

oblivion,

and with the waning fortunes

name was soon

with the

their connection

of

Mahars,

the

forgotten

and

Maharastra was explained as meaning the "Grreat Kingdom" instead of the

Kingdom

indeed curious that the

of the

Mahars

word Pariah has

or Mallas. still

It is

in Marathi,

the meaning of Mahara, for the term Parardrl corresponds

and

to Pariah,

is

way

used in Marathi in a general

as a

courteous or conciliatory term for a Mahar. ^

2' There exist other SlStag about this division. The SJcanda-Purdna contains the ahovementioned SlOkas also in the following form :

—

KarnataScaiva Dra-idda Gurjara Eastravasinah Andhragca Dravidah pafica Vindhyadaksinavasinah. Sarasvatah Kanyaknhj a G-auda-Maithilakotkalah Panoa Gauda iti khyata Vindhasyottaravasinah.

According to Dr. John Wilson " Maharatta is the Pali form of Mahawhich with the variant reading Mallarashtra appears in several of the Puranas. Now, Maharashtra jna^j mean 'the country of the MahdrSy^ ntrihe still known in the province, though in a degraded position, and still so numerous throughout the Maratha country that there runs the proverb, Jetiye :

rashtra,

.

OF BHARATAVARSA OR INDIA.

The proper names of Mallayija and among the Sudxa and Pariah population are

occasionally

like Kuppayija

Malladu,

this act of humility,

common

of Southern India,

and VSmhayya

among Brahmans and other high- caste when the parents have previously lost two

By

23

^*

given

people to a hoy, or

more

children.

displayed in giving a low

name

to their child, they

hope to propitiate the deity and obtain for their offspring the health of a poor man's child. "With

that object they even throw the infant into a dunghill or

huppa (Tamil kuppai)

name

of

;

a practice which has given rise to the

Kuppayya.

Step by step the Dravidians receded from Northern India,

though they never

left

it

altogether.

The Brahmanical

supremacy deprived them of their independence, yet not all submitted to Aryan customs and manners. Scattered remains Mallas

of the

exist, as

we have

seen, to this

day in North-

India.

The immense chain

of the

Vindhya mountains acted

as

a protecting barrier, otherwise the Dravidians in the south,

Wherever there is a village there ia the Mahar ganva tenye Mahara vada. ward. The Mahars are mentioned hy the cognomen which they still hear that of Parwari {Uapovapoi) by Ptolemy, in the second century of the Christian era and in his days they were eridently a people of distinct geograSee Dr. John Wilson's Ifbtes on the Constituent phical recognition." Elements. of the Mardthl language, p. xxiii in the second edition of the Dictionary Marathi and English, compiled by J. T. Molesworth, Bombay, 1857.— Consult too Dr. John Wilson's Indian Caste, vol. II, p. 48 "The Mahars, who form one of its (Maharashtra's) old degraded tribes, and are everywhere found in the province say, that Maharashtra means the country Compare Notes on Castes in the Dekhau, by W. F. Sinclair, of the Mahars." Indian Antiquary, vol. II (1874), p. 130. See also Col. Dalton's Ethnology " We have a tribe called Mai or Mftr, scattered over of Bengal, p. 264 Sirguja, Palamau, Belounja, &c." In the Vishnupurdpa of H. H. Wilson, edited by Pitzedward Hall, vol. '

'

;

.

:

:

II, p.

is called Vallirdstra, and it is conjectured that be identical with the Maharastra (the Mahratta country) of

Mallarastra

165,

Mallardstra

may

the Puranas. '^

Vembayya is called after Vembu, the Margosa tree, the representative of Death should regard in consequence the child as too bitter and

bitterness.

too worthless to carry

it off.

ON THE ORIGINAL INHABITANTS

24

unlike their brothers in the north, would not have remained so

In fact the Vindhya mountains were

unmolested.

degrees

recognized

constituting

as

the

natural

by-

frontier

between the Aryanised nations of the north and the Dravidians of the south.

Aryan first

colonisation progressed slowly in the south.

missionaries appear

have been only

to

sojourners not permanent settlers in

visitors

The and

the country, whence

they retraced their steps homewards.

The holy Agastya, according to one tradition^* a grandson Brahma, a son of Pulastya, a brother of Visravas and an uncle of the Raksasa king, Ravana, is said to have remained of

in the South.

Many

diminutive sage.

miraculous deeds are ascribed to this

He

is

said to

have been instrumental in

the destruction of the powerful Nahusa, to have consumed

and digested the Eaksasa Vatapi, to have drunk the waters of the ocean, and to have forced the Vindhya mountains to prostrate themselves before him.

This

last feat

was intended

having settled down for good

to symbolize the fact that he

became the originator of Brahmanical coloniFor he exacted from the insurmountable Vindhya,

in Dravlda, sation.

who was

lying at his

feet,

the promise not to rise again

had returned and recrossed, and as Agastya did not come back, the Vindhya could not lift its head again, and since then the mountain became passable for future immiuntil he

-^ According to anotlier tradition he was bom together with T'asistlia in a waterjar (therefore called Kamhhnsamhhava, Kiunbhayoni and Ghatodbhava) as the son of Mitra and Varuna (therefore Maitracdruni) and of the Apsaras Ufran. In the Svayamhhuva Manvantara the name of Agastya, as the son According to the Bhagavata-Purana of Pulastya and Priti, is Dattoli. Agastya was the son of Pulastya and of Havirbhu and was called in a

\>TQvion3'hiTt'h Dahrd(/ni or Jatharar/iii.

(Sec Vishnupur. yo\. ,

Xj'p. lo4.)

He

Fitdbdhi as Ocean-drinker and Vdtajfidvls^ as destroyer of Vatftpi. His abode is fixed on the mountain Kunjara. Many hymns of the Egveda

is also called

are ascribed to him.

Lassen

has pointed out the incongruity he is mentioned both as Klrtipufaija Pandya.

(vol. II, p. 23)

of the reports respecting the time

when he

a conteniporrry of Anaataguna and of

lived, as

OF BHARATAVAESA OR INDIA. Agastya's residence

grants.

said

is

25

have been the

to

mountain Malayam or Potiyam, not far distant from Cape Comorin in the firmament he shines as the star Canopus. ;

To him

is

ascribed the civilisation of South -India, in fact

the most famous ancient Tamil works in nearly every branch

grammar, and mediIn consequence he is specially

of science, such as divinity, astronomy, cine are attributed to him. called the

Tamil sage (^"Stp

(Lpssfl).

Explanation of the teems Dravida, Tamil AND Aravam. Sanskrit

is

called in South-India the northern language or

pa to moU, eui— Qlditl^, while the Dravidian goes

by the name

of the southern language, or ten moli Qflasr Olq^-l^.

Previous

researches have established the fact that the words Dravida

and Tamil are

identical in meaning, that both resemble each

other in form, and that Tamil seems to be a derivative from

Yet the origin

Dravida.

denote

Tamil

:

word Dravida has

Though Dravida is

not been explained. to

of the

Dramida Malayalam

speaking applicable to

all

;

is

in fact

also

is

properly

it is

The

the Dravidian languages.

word Dramila occurs also in Sanskrit Dramila from Tlnmiala and explain it Mala language, as Sanskrit is kut Aryan language. It

or Dramila

Dravida,

applied to denote ancient

hitherto

generally restricted

I derive

literature.

to signify the sacred

immaterial to us whether Tint

i^o-^^v

the refined

an original Dra-

is

vidian word, or a derivation from the Sanskrit Sri, prosperity.

Some

of the best

Tamil scholars of the past as well as of

the present day have declared in favour of

Dravidian word, and this has

all

along been

tiru

being a pure

my

opinion also.

Tiru was probably in course of time changed to tira or tara,

then contracted to tra or dra, and finally to letters

t

and d being

identical.

Tiruvdy, the sacred word, and

The Veda its

is

ia

(da),

called in

Tamil adaptation 4

both

Tamil

specially

ON THE ORIGINAL INHABITANTS

26

used by Vaisnavas is the well-known Tiruvay Moli. Tiruvay was eventually changed to Taramy, which is now generally used in the sense of Veda-rcading. The word Ottu does thus

The tini of Malayalam signify Yeda and Veda-reading. Tiruvallankodu has been similarly changed to tra in Travan-

in

core,

both alterations— Dravida and Travanoore

— being

From Dramala

doubt due to the same Aryan influence.

no to

Dramila, Damila and Tamil is a short step, unless Tamil is Dramila, Dramida and directly derived from Tixumala. Dra^ada are Aryan corruptions of Tirumala and found re-admission into the

South-Indian languages as foreign

was forgotten and defied explanation. I recognize the name Tirumala also in the Tamala or Damala of Ddmahi raruhhaijam near Pdndamangaexpressions,

whose

signification

Pandamangalam is regarded among whom the name not unfrequently occur. Ubhayam (s-uinta)

Inm in the Trichinopoly

district.

as the old capital of the former kings,

Tirumala did

is anything offered or devoted to religious purposes, and Ddmalavar ubhayam denotes therefore the offering of the Tirumala people, var being used as the aflix of the Tamil pronoun of the third person plural. Tinimalardja is in colloquial Telugu often called Tiramalarayalu, as Tirupati

becomes Tirapati.

Like Ddiiuilacaruhhayam might be men-

tioned Ddmalaceruvu in North-Arcot,

Damalapddi in Tanjore and others.

Bdmal

good authority that the

last place is to this

as Tirumalapadi.

my

Yet,

in Ohingleput,

I have been informed on

day

also

known

derivation of Tirumala does not

require the support of the etymology of these names.

Another but rarer form of Dramila

is

Drimila, which

is

derived from Tinimila, as Tripati from Tirujmfi, Trikovil for Tirukocil, or Trikal for Tinikdl.

The

fact of the

term Tamil

being the ultimate derivative from Tirumala (Tramala) and denoting a special Dravidian dialect will perhaps serve in future researches as an historical clue for fixing the period

when

the various vernaculars of Southern India

became sepa-

OF BHARATAVAR8A OR INDIA.

and

rate

distinct languages.

Ptolemy (VII,

27

If the Limijrike

(Ai,yi,vpiKr\)

of

and 85) is the Dimirica repeatedly mentioned in the Cosmography of the anonymous geographer of Ravenna, as Bishop Caldwell has clearly pointed out by identifying

it

1,

8

with Damirice or the Tamil country (see

p. 14

of the Introduction to the second edition of the Oomparntive

Dravidian Grammar), earliest

the work

of

Ptolemy contains the

mention of the word Tamil.

All these permutations prove the continual interchange of

m

with the other labial consonants, and of

/

into the d

and

r sounds.^®

2^

Witli respeet to the above-mentioned conjectures a few observations

are perhaps necessary.

The change of a into i and vice versd is not rare, as in mala and inila, Damirica and Dimirica, Ufa, open, and tara. Sea., Sen. Tiniudy and its slang alteration into Taravay a,re both Tamil words, though the latter common form has been introduced into Telugu by Telugu J3rahmans especially by Vaisnava Telugu Brahmans -who live in the Tamil country, and has thus found The term Taravay for Vedaits way even into modern Telugu dictionaries. dhyayana or Vedopakrama is neither found in Kanarese and Malay alam, nor in pure Telugu. The most important lesson which Brahman boys have to learn at and after their Upanayanam or investiture with the holy thread Children generally alter words so as to suit their proare Veda mantras. nunciation, and Tamil boys most probably invented Taravay for Tirumy as they say tara, open, instead of tira. This corrupted form found eventually access into common Tamil, for up to this moment Taravay is only considered a slang term. The origin of the word once forgotten, tara of taravay, was connected with the word laram in the meaning of time (once, twice, &c.), and as every lesson in order to be known must be repeated, so also the reciting It seems to be overlooked by of the Veda after so many times or taram. those, who prefer this explanation, that the term Taravay is only applied to the repetition of the Veda and not to any other repetition, that if tara had been taken in the senss of " time," it ought to be at the end of the word, and that

—

—

the syllable vay gives no sense in taravay unless it is accepted as meaning Veda or holy word. Taravay, taruvay, in taravata and taruvdta, occur in Telugu in the meaning of afterwards, as do in Kanarese taravdya and taru. vdya but these words have nothing in common with the above-mentioned Tamil Taravay. The elision of an r is also not unfrequent, as trdguta, to Already Bishop Caldwell was drink, in Telugu becomes generally tdguta. " The struck with the strange formation of the word Dravida, for he says ;

:

compound dr is quite un-Dravidian. It would be tira in Tamil but even if we suppose some such word as Tiravida or Tiramida to have been converted into Dravida by the Sanskrit-speaking people, we get no nearer to. ;

ON THE ORIGINAL INHABITANTS

28

The Telugu, Kanarese and other cognate northern races, when they had forgotten their claim to the name of Dravidians, called the

Tamil language Aravam.

This word

Aravam is most likely a corruption of Dravidam. Dravidam or Dramilam became in its turn Daramidam (Daramilam), Aravidam (Ara\ilam), and finally Aravam.^' However peculiar these changes

may

appear to the uninitiated, to

no

the scientific philologist they can afford

Even

in

dropped, in

Sanskrit e.g.,

German,

an explanation

we

special difhculty.

an initial d haKpv in Greek, thrdne

occasionally observe

in asru, tear,

which

and lacnjma

in Latin

meaning

of the original

is

;

of the

while the elision of

word."

See Introduction

to Comparative Ilravtdtn)^ Gyaminar, p. 13.

The name Tinunala hecomes in mi(c!u

colloquial Telugu also Tiramala, Tirmala This last word must he distinguished from Timiita for timor timmanna, monkey. Similarly does iuuibulamu, hetel, become tama-

lamu

(or

and Timma.

tammalamu) and tamma

;

and tdmara,

lotus, tauiini.

In Tamil the verb oiii (|B' I quote here the derivation of the word Sahara proposed by General Sir Alex. Cunningham, Archaohgieal Survey of India, vol. XVII,

" The origin of the name of Savara must be sought for outside the " language of the Aryas. In Sanskrit Snrara simply means a corpse.' " From Herodotus, however, we learn that the Scythian word for an axe " was Sagaris and as g and v are interchangeable letters, Sarar is the same p. 113

:

'

'

;

"word

as Sagar.

who were

It seems, therefore, not unreasonable to infer that the

name from their habit of carrying " axes. Now it is one of the striking peculiarities of the Savaras that they "are rarely seen without an axe in their hands."

''

tribes,

'* '*

so called, took their

See Lassen's Indische AUerthums/cunde, vol. II, p. 101, 469. no\/K7ySai aypiopdyoi Ptol., VII, 1, 64. ;

OF BHAEATAVAfiSA OR INDIA. raw

and wild fruits eating Pulindas, the present Barok. flesh

On Pulaha,

87

as living north of

Pulastya, Puloman, &c.

The previously mentioned names of Pulaha, Pulastya, Puloman, ^c, bear in their first two syllables Pula a strange resemblance to the

name

of the Pulayar and Pulindas. Sansgrammarians generally connect the names of these Saints with the root pwl, to be great, and the word Pulastya is also derived from pulas, standing for puras. These derikrit

vations, however, appear too artificial."

Pulastya

said to be the father of Agastya

and Vilravas. Ruber a by Idavida (or Ilavila) and Ravana, Kumhhakarna, and Vibhisana by Kesini. The is

Visravas had four sons.

saintly civiliser of Southern India, Agastya, is thus, as pre-

viously noticed, very closely indeed related to the chief of

the hated Eaksasas, being in fact the uncle of Eavana, the

While Ravana conquered .India and reduced the gods to abject subjection, from which they were only rescued by Visnu appearing as Balarama, his uncle Agastya waged war with the demons and advised god- despising king of Lanka.

Rama how to subdue the Raksasas. Similar family discords assisted Rama in his warfare against Ravana and Bali, whose respective brothers Vibhisana and Sugriva joined

Rama. "While

Ravana

is

regarded with horror by the Brah-

mans, Rdvanabhet, a Vedic work on Phonetics,

His memory

this Eaksasa.

is still

is

ascribed to

cherished by the Jains.

" Compare the remarks of the Eev. F. Kittel on the root pulai, pule, pole and on Pulaha and Pulastya in the Indian Antiquary, vol. VIII (1879),

my

my

reading conclusions previously to Though I arrived at Kittel's suggestive article, I admit his priority in this respect and gladly and the Pallavaka, a libertine, a gallant, quote his opinion "The Pallava

pp. SO, 51.

Mr.

:

.

.

do not hesitate to connect with poleya ; and who knows whether the " ancient Pallava dynasty was not a dynasty of certain Poleyas when still a " powerful tribe."

"I

ON THE ORIGINAL INHABITANTS

0ei-

OF BHARATAVAR8A OR INDIA. It

is

hardly necessary after this

209

to

contradict

other statements, namely that the term Kulavaru

is

derived

from the Sanskrit word kula and that the original

name

of this race

was Kala.

The

falseness of the

two trihal

first is

ohvious, while the real trihal designation, as has been proved, is

Kulu, Kola, or Kuru.

root to which the

Kuruvandlu

name

Ko

(ku),

of the

or Kolavan41u

mountain,

must be

Presidency, 9,892 in

indeed, the

According to

traced.

census 48,882 Terukulavandlu

the last

is,

Kuruvas, Koravas, Koramas,

live in the

Hyderabad, and 30

Madras

in the Central

Provinces, or altogether 58,804 in India.

These Kurus must not be confounded with the Kolarian live on the Mahadeva hills and in the forests

Kurs, who

watered by the Tapti and Narbada.

known

On Kaurs

The Kurs

are better

as Muasis.'^

the other hand,

it is

by no means improbable

that the

some relationship

of the Central Provinces stand in

to the Kuxavas, as they appear to belong to the Gonds.

'^& a. highland chief. J^iSoajr-Jfe a gypsey, J&S'ejS a gypsey wench. This tribe of fortune-tellers speak a peculiar jargon or cant and when they pitch their camps near towns, they herd swine. ^Siivir>T> a woman of a witch." Compare also Sabda Satndkaram, a dictionary of the this trihe Telugu Language, compiled by B. Sltfirftmacftryulu, Madras, 1885, pp. 160^. S. 1. "383. JrajS. 'rf. S. 1. .5 ^^^io 151. " J rajs' :

:

.

.

|-cr°SoiSi

86

2. sr^.SicJSi.

" About the Kurmis compare Dr. Fr. Buchanan's Sistory, Antiquities, Topography and Statistics of Eastern India, vol. I, pp. 166, 283; vol. II pp!

OF BHARATAVAR8A OH INDIA.

These

Aryan

facts

seem

origin of the

263

to be conclusive evidence for the

Kurmis and Kunbis.

non-

But what makes

this tribe historically so interesting, is the circumstance that

some

of the chief

as the

Hindu

dynasties of

Eajas of Sattdra, the

and others

are of

Kumbi

late

modern times such

Eajas of Tanjore, Scindia

extraction.

The circumstance Kudumbi

that the old Marathi dialect has preserved the term

enables us to trace the connection of these Kunbis with the

Kudumbas

or

Kurumbas.

Considering the bravery and the fierceness of the ancient

Kurumbas who were the dread and the bane of their neighbour's, we need not be surprised if the fire of their martial was not quite extinct in the otherwise plodding

disposition

Kumbis, and that the genius of Sivaji and Ekoji could kindle

the

spark into

blazing flame.

a

If

Sir

Greorge

Campbell had suspected the origin of the Kumbis, he would " Next to the AMrs the Kurmis here (in Gorukhpoor) hold the and in Parraona they obtained the whole property, although they were not able to secure the title of Raja. This, however, was bestowed on the family by the late Asfud-Doulah, but it gave great offence to the The families most nearly connected Eajputs, and has been discontinued. with the chiefs of Parraona, and some others, who were Chaudkuris of Pergimahs, are reckoned Ashraf and scorn the plough. While a great many of the Saithawar and Patanawar tribes have become ashamed of the term Kurmi, and reject all additions to the names above-mentioned, although it is well known that they are Kurmis, and many of them are not ashamed of this name. On the right of the Sarayu this tribe is most commonly called Kunmi or Kunbi, which, in the account of Mysore, I have written Cunabi (see above p. 232 n. 109); for itis one of the most generally diffused audnumerous tribes in India and in Malawa has risen to great power by the elevation of Sindhiya This person was a Kurmi but I am told, to the government of TJjjain. that at his capital the Kurmis are now reckoned Eajputs, as they would have been here had the Parraona family been a little more powerful. There is 468, 469

:

highest place

;

,

;

;

some reason to

suspect, that their

who have had more

success

;

daim

is

better founded than that of

for it is alleged

many

by many, that they are the

to be descended of the family of the sun, supported by many circumstances which must be allowed to have some weight, although I do not think them conclusive. If the Kurmis, however, are the same with the Tharus, they are at any rate descended of the most powerful, most civilized, and most ancient tribe, that has been sovereigns of the country since the time at least of the family of the sun. Ag the Tharus,

same with the Tharus, whose claim is

however, are impure, the Kurmis strenuously deny the connection, they being

b5

ON THE ORIGINAL INHABITANTS

264

not have been so puzzled about the military element so conspicuous in their character.''^

On the

origin of the term Kadamba.

Having been able to recognize in the Kurmis or Kumbis the well-known Kurumbas or Kudumbas, I do not believe that I go too far by suggesting a similar explanation for the name of the famous Kadamba dynasty of ancient times. Only mysterious legends which connect its founder with the Kadamba tree are known about this royal race. I suspect that behind the name Kadamba lurks that of Kudumba or Kurumba, and that the former was originally an accidental alteration through variation of sound, which, in course of time,

was accepted and used to In this case,

obliterate the real origin

of the ruling tribe. ascertained, title

and

I shall

now

its

ethnological status

is

enquire into the origin of the

Kadamba.

nearly as pure as the

A hire.

Thej' formerly ate wild pork, tut

now reject

it,

They keep and will not acknowledge that they drink Bpirituous liquor. widows as concubines. Their Gurus and Purohits are the same with those of the Ahirs."

Compare further Terms, vol.

I,

uniei Kunbi

Sir

Henry M. Elliot's Supplemental H. H. WHson's Glossary, pp.

pp. 155, 157

a,ni.

agriculturists, or

;

Glossary of Indian 302, a04

and 305,

Kurmi : " Knrmi, Koormee (H. ^_j«X jriy). The caste of of a member of it, in Eastern and Central Hindustan, being

Consult also the same, essentially, as the Kunbis of the west and south." Colonel Dalton's Descriptive Ethnology of Bengal, pp. 306, 308, 317-327 Sir George Campbell's Ethnology of India, pp. 40, 92-95 Rev. M. A. Sherring's ;

;

Hindu

Tribes

and

Castes, vol. I, pp.

323-325

;

vol. II, pp. 99-101, 187, 188

;

vol. Ill, pp. 150-152.

See Sir George Campbell's Ethnology of India, p. 94 :" Nothing puzzled than this, viz., to understand whence came the great Maratta military element. In the Punjab one can easily understand the sources of Sikh power every peasant looks fit to be a soldier. But the great mass of the Maratta Koonbees look like nothing of the kind, and are the quietest and most obedient of humble and unwarlike cultivators. Although the Koonbee element was the foundation of the Maratta power, though Sevajee and some of his chiefs were Koonbees, it appears that these people came almost exclusively from a comparatively small district near Sattara, a hiUy region where, as I judge, the Koonbees are much mixed with numerous aboriginal aad semi-aboriginal tribes of JMhars and others." Compare about the Kunbis also the Gazetteer nj Auraiigr'had, pp. 265-270. ''*

me more ;

.

OF BHARATAVARSA OR INDIA. Different legends are told to explain the

265

name

of the

story tells us that after the destruction of the

demon

Kadamha, Kadamba or Kadamba dynasty,'"

One

Tripura a drop of perspiration

Kvara through the hollow the form of a

man

of a

fell

from the forehead of

Kadamba

tree,

and assumed

with three eyes and four arms.

He

was

accordingly called Trinetra or Trilocana Kadamha, became the foimder of the Kadamba dynasty and erected near the

Sahya mountain

known

his capital Vdnavdii, also

as Jayantl-

piira or Vaijayantipura}^^

Another tradition

relates that he was the son of Siva and Parvati, who stayed for a certain period in the same mountain range, that he was born there eventually under a

Kadambatree, whence the child obtained

became a king

his

name, and

in course of time.

These are the two most widely-spread reports, but according to another a Brahman of Yalgi underwent a severe penance in order to become a king through the favor of MadhukeSvara.i^^ His penance was graciously accepted, and a divine voice informed him that he would be reborn as a

who would eat his head would become a king, that those who would partake of his breast would become ministers, and that those who would feast peacock, that the person

on the remainder of

Brahman

satisfied

his

body would become

killed himself with a spear

such

a state

1" See "

A

The

treasurers.

with this promise, went to Kdii, where he

and was reborn

he roamed about in the

Kadamba

Inscription at Siddhapur"

in tbe Indian Antiquary, vol. XI, p. 273 " have been written differently, as Kadamba, :

as a peacock.

forest

In

and announced

by K. B. Patbak,

b.a.,

The name of the family seems Kadamba or Kadamba."

to

Consult Mackenzie MSS., Kanareee No. 744, 11, pp. 208 »eq., further to The Mackenzie Collection, pp. 1., ci., old edition, pp. 60, 149, second edition; Mr. Lewis Eice's Mysore and Coorg, 158

H. H. Wilson's Introduction

and his Mysore Inscriptions, p. xxxiii. See Maekemie Manuscripts, Kauarese, No. 725, VI, pp. 99-102 H. H. pp. 149, 150, new Wilson's Mackenzie Collection, pp. ci, ciii, old edition vol. I, pp. 193, 194) II> P- 352, 15*

;

;

edition.

ON THE ORIGINAL INHABITANTS

266 with a

shrill voice that

would become a king of thieves,

who were

;

the person

who would

until he fell into the

eat his head

hands of a gang

Kadamha

They woman, Puspavafl by name, who

resting under a

tree.

and asked a was living near by, to cook the peacock and to distribute its flesh amongst them. While the woman was preparing the killed the bird

peacock, and the thieves were bathing, her son came

very hungry, and, as he wanted something to

eat, his

home

mother

gave him the head of the bird in ignorance of what was in store for

him who

ate

When

it.

he had eaten

it,

the thieves

returned, partook of the remainder of the meat, but were of them was They fetched the woman, who, when hard pressed, told them what she had done, and that her son had eaten the head of the peacock. The thieves found that

astonished that after staying a while, none

proclaimed king.

it

was of no use

to fight against destiny

and submitted

to

their fate.

The king Annkapiirandara of Jayantipura had

died at that

very time without leaving any living issue behind and, as was the custom in these circumstances, the ministers let the state elephant loose

with a watervessel containing holy water.

While thus roaming about, he came to the spot in the forest near which the son of Puspavati was living close to the Kadamba tree. The elephant bowed down to the youth, who ascended the animal and was carried by him to Jayantipura, where he

was joyfully

received, placed

on the royal

He

assumed henceforth the

name Mayuravarma Kadamba and

ruled for a long time

throne and anointed as king.

gloriously over the country.

The

election of a king

to a state-elephant,

is

in Indian legends often entrusted

and widely spread

is

also the belief that

he who eats the head of a peacock becomes a king. peacock

is

in

Sanskrit called Mayura,

hence the

Mayuravarma, which the youth accepted.

So far as the

person and his origin are concerned, the two legends as one refers

to Trinetra

and the other

The name

to

differ,

Mayuravarma

OF BHARATAVARSA OR INDIA.

Kadamba, but the Kadamba

267

tree plays in both traditions a

significant part.

As Puspamti prepared

the food for the thieves of which

her son partook, and which she distributed among the thieves, one may assume with good reason that she belonged to the

same

caste as the thieves

people I feel

The peacock

inclined

who caught

it

Kurumbas.

plays an important part in the account of the

settlement of the Kallas in the

Madura.

tavi of

the peacock, and these

identify with the

to

So

Kadambavanam

or

Kadamhd-

far as the expression thief is concerned,

must not be forgotten that thieving or robbing was not if it was practised as a regular pro-

considered disgraceful,

fession, just as cattlelifting did not in

any stygma

to those

who indulged

former times attach

in

it

in the Highlands

of Scotland.

The Kadamba is

much esteemed

Skanda, for is

its

tree, of

which there

for its flowers

exist various species,

which are sacred

to the

god

fragrant and highly esteemed powder which

used at religious ceremonies, for the juice which exudes

from

its

stem, and for other reasons.

Its

name was

Kadamba and Kadamba, and

various ways,

as

it

spelt in

was

origi-

nally an indigenous Indian plant, I presume that this term is also

indigenous and Non- Aryan.

I believe that the people

and the dynasty, which we caU Kadambas, were actually

who had assumed a slightly name Kurumba into stories about the Kadamba tree are

a branch of the Kurumbas,

modified designation by changing their

Kadamba, and that the

inventions of later times in order to explain the coincidence. It

is

hardly necessary to restate here the resemblance be-

tween the a and u sounds, and plant

I of

is

to

mention that the Kadamba

in various places of India called

have had occasion to

confederation

prevalent

allude

among

Kudumba.""

to the

the

peculiar mode Kurumbas and

See the Eev. Dr. Morison Winslow's Tamil and English Dictionary, "Katampam, Eatampu, a flower tree." It is sacred to Skanda who ia On p. called Katampan Madura is called Katampavanam or Katampdtavi. 18°

p. 219,

;

268

ON THE ORIGINAL INHABITANTS

a similar institution

is

said

to

have

existed

among

the

Kadambas.^'i Yet, what seems to establish

the original identity be-

tween the Kurumbas and the Kadambas,

is

the fact that

Kadamba is actually found in Tamil as a synonomous and identical expression for Kurumba, though this circumstance has up to now escaped the notice it really the term

deserves.'^^

In the common 236 we find "Katampam, Katampu, the Kadamba tree." vernacular the Kadamha tree is often called Kudumbu, in Hindustani and

—

Bengali it is known as Kudum. Toddy is made from certain Kadamba trees, and the Marathaa make mead from the Kadamba {Anthoeephalus Cadamba). Compare Dr. Dymock's Anthropogonic Trees, Bombay Anthropological Journal, vol. I, p. 301. ParvatI (or Durga) likes to dwell in the tree. Mr. Lewis Eice says on p. xxxiii in his Mysore Inscriptions that "the Kadamba tree appears to be one of the palms from which toddy is extracted." The Vispupuraua (see H. H. Wilson's translation edited by Fitzedward Hall, vol. V, pp. 65, 66) reports, that " Varuna, in order to provide for his Thou, (Sssa's) recreation, said to (his wife) Vaninl (the goddess of wine) :

'

Madira, art ever acceptable to the powerful Ananta. Go, therefore, auspicious and kind goddess, and promote his enjoyments.' Obeying these commands, Varunl went and established herself in the hollow of a Kadamba-tree in the woods of Vrindavana. Baladeva, roaming about (came there, and), smelling the pleasant fragrance of liquor, resumed his ancient passion for strong The holder of the ploughshare, observing the vinous drops distilling

di'ink.

from the Kadamba-tree, was much delighted, (and gathered) and quaffed them along with the herdsmen and the Gopis, whQst those who were skilful with voice and lute celebrated him in their songs. Being inebriated (with the wine), and the drops of perspiration standing like pearls upon his limbs, he called out, not knowing what he said." (In a note to this is said " Kadambarl is one of the synonyms of wine or spirituous liquor. The grammarians, however, also derive the word from some legend ; stating it to be so called, because it was produced from the hoUow of a Kadamba-tree on the Gomanta mountain.") According to the Bhagavata the Kadamba tree was placed on SuparSva; see Vishnupurana, vol. II, p. 116. In the Sanskrit Dictionary of Professors Bohtlingk and Roth we read in vol. I, p. 211: ^' Kadambara ein aus den Blumen der Nauclea Cadamba bereitetes borauschendes Getrank, n. Tfqi^, H (Smacandra) an. Med. f. f diesB. und A.K 2, 10, 40, H. 902, the rain-water which collects in clefts and hollow places of the tree (Nauclea Cadamba) when the flowers are in perfection, and which is supposed to be impregnated with the honey, Carey bei Haugh:

4i'li"i 3TRTT 11^ +KHv liirpav vpwrSj' ean rots irep! to. Prof.

Lauth has also pointed

out.

ON THE ORIGINAL INHABITANTS

334

was adopted by the Aryan immigrants of India, as is proved by the existence of the sixty years' cycle of Brhasit

pati or Jupiter.

This planet accomplishes an entire revo-

lution in twelve years or rather in 4,332 days, 12 hours, &c.

As

this cycle is divided into twelve years like a year is into

twelve months, a lustrum of such a cycle constitutes the 60 years' cycle or the

which

of

I

Chaldean

spoke previously, owes

such Bosses being combined, however,

Whether the Kaliyuga,

soss.

it is

not at

all

it is

its

duration to twenty

now impossible to prove The artificial arrange-

improbable.

ment of the yugas in which a morning and evening dawn, which occupied together a sixth part of an age {e.g., the 100 years of the dawn, the 1,000 years of the yuga and the 1 00 years of the evening) and which precede and follow each yuga, is also perhaps of later origin but whether this is the ;

case or not, the correctness of

my

explanation of the origin of

the nomenclature of the yugas will not be affected.

main object attention to

The

have in view in this discussion is to draw the close resemblance of Indian and Turanian I

computations.^

1

' The twelve years of the cycle of Brhaspati have the names of the twelve lunar mouths, as the twelve-yearly rotation of Jupiter resembles the twelve monthly of the earth. If this twelve-yearly revolution is combined with the lustrum, yuga, or period of five years, the 60 years' cycle is the '^

result. It is, however, quite possible, that this combination of the lustrum with the Jupiter cycle is only a later explanation of Indian astronomers, as it is certain that the latter derived in later times most of their knowledge from the West, especially through the Greeks, who in their turn were indebted to the Babylonians and Egyptians the Sanskrit names of the Zodiac are thus mere translations of the Western names. Compare ;

Varahamihira' s Brhatsamhita, Till,

1,

about the names of the single years

of the cycle of Brhaspati corresponding to those of twelve lunar

months and VIII, 27 about the sixty years' cycle Adyam dhanisthamsamabhiprapanno maghe yada yatyudayam snrejyah :

sastyabdapiirvah prabhavalj sa

namna

See the Sarijasiddhanta,

XIV,

1,

55,

1,

pravartate bhutahitastadSbdah. 2 (edition of the Bibliotheca

Indica, Calcutta, 1859, pp. 41, 369, 370) about the twelve-years' years' cycle of Bihaspati 55,

Dvadasaghna guror yata bhagana vartarmanakaih. EaSibhih sahitah suddhah sastya syur vijayadayah.

and

sixty-

OP BHAEATAVAESA OE INDIA.

From the

335

general description in the sacred record

does

it

not appear that the deluge was accompanied by any such

phenomena as have proceeded from geological revolutions produced by violent eruptions of water. The early drift accumulations prove, by their component elements, that they

belong to a period

much

anterior to the deluge of Noah,

of the earth do not exhibit any and indelible traces of the Noachian Notwithstanding that no such evidences of any

but the crust and surface clearly ascertained

deluge.

great diluvian catastrophe are found, similar catastrophes

and inundations, which created great changes on the surface of the earth, have happened within that period. Since the researches of Professor Prestwich, the existence of

man

has been traced to a period far beyond the limits

of Biblical chronology

that

human

;

nay,

it is

thought highly probable

beings already existed in the so-called tertiary

and hundred thousands of years must therefore have elapsed before we come within touch of historical period,

times.

It

is,

however, possible that though

man

existed,

he was at that early period both mentally and physically far

below the species at present

hardly anything about these ence

;

In fact we

living.

men beyond

know

their bare exist-

they have almost totally disappeared, without leaving

anything behind them, save their bones and a few traces of their

handiwork and implements.

On

the other

hand

the Chaldean and Biblical deluge-accounts prove through the survival of the companions of Xisuthros and respectively the continuity of the

human

species,

us besides of events that previously occurred.

Noah

and inform

The

exist-

ence of the Chaldean tablets prepared with the express

purpose of preserving to posterity the learning of bye-gone 1.

Brahmam divyam tatha Saiuranca

2.

pitryam prajapatyam guros

savanam oandram arksam manani

tathii,

vai nava.

Catnrbhir vyavaharoatra sauraoandrapk'asavanai'h BSrbaspatyena Bajtyabdam jfieyam nanyais tu nityasah. 4.4

ON THE OEIGINAL INHABITANTS

336

times, favors the assumption that according to the expec-

tation of the iuscribers the deluge limits of time

would be confined by

These expectations appear to

and place.

have been realised, for the discovery of these tablets shows, that there could not have taken place any great changes

on the surface of the earth. In summiug up the evidence derived from the Biblico-

Chaldean account of the deluge, assuming

it

to

have been

have extended only over Mesopotamia and the contiguous countries, the Indian description of it must either have emanated from direct communications made local

and

to

by the descendants

of survivors, or

from reports, which

As

events of such magnitude necessarily produce.

the

Aryans had not yet entered India at such an early date,

Manu

could not have been in India, nor could the ark have

landed on the Himalaya, or elsewhere in this country. This conclusion appears to be supported by the fact that the

Veda nowhere

alludes to such an inundation.

I omit alto-

moment to consider the possibility of the known among the Gauda-Dravidian India, but may point out that its connection

gether at this

deluge legend being population of with Malabar

seems to lend a plausibility to such an

assumption. If

we were

-iupplies us

certain,

which we are not, that Genesis

with an approximate date of the deluge, and

that this deluge was,

what

is

very probable, identical with

name

the Indian deluge connected with the

would be

able, as the

Noachian

flood,

of

Manu, we

according to Biblical

chronology, can be fixed at 2500 B.C., to utilize this date also for purposes of Indian history

commencement

of its first epoch.

avatara of Visnu, however, in the

first

its

and I

start

connection with

legendary date of Indian history.

tance that I ascribe to

the

from

fish

it

as the

regard the matsya-

avatara

exemplified by Manu's flood, has induced

me

Manu

as

This imporof

Visnu, as

to enter

more

337

OF BfiARATAVAEsA OR INDIA.

deeply into this subject than might seem at

from a

superficial

view of the question.

Indian tradition that the three

first

first

necessary

The prevailing

avataras of Visnu

belong to the Krta, the next four to the Treta, the eighth and ninth to the Dvapara and the tenth to the Kali-yuga has no historical weight. This inquiry has also brought to

light

the intimate

tribes of the

West

connection between the Turanian

with those of the East

— a connection

which will prove eventually of very great importance.

On the Salagbama-stone. Visiju like other

gods

is

worshipped by means

of

{vigraha), but his pious adherents prefer to revere

the form of the Salagrama-stonCj though

and heaps of grain are The worship

him.^^

demands great

also occasionally of

attention.

idols

The

is

jewels^,

used

always

him

in

drawings

to represent diflioult

and

slightest mistake or over-

sight exposes the adorer to the wrath of the

"

images

oSended

deity.

Salagrame manau yantre, tanclule pratimadisn, hareh piija prakarfcavya na tu kevalabhiitale.

The derivation of the word Salagra^nay Sdlagrama or Saligranin is Some connect the word with the Sal or Sal-tree (Sliorea robusta

disputed.

or Valeria robusta) and contend that

a collection of such trees, neighbourhood of the Salagramatirtha {salanam vrliSanam rjramah). Others assert that it signifies saragrava, the best stone, while others explain the first word of the compound sala or sara as formed of the prefix sa, with, and the noun ara or ala (for no real difference exists between ) and I), spoke of a wheel, curl, saragmma or salagrama in consequence signifying a collection of spiral Others again affirm that the name is connected with ali, bee. The curls. VajrakUa worm, which bores the hole in the Salagrama, is by some commentators taken for a bee bhramara or ali, and as the holes are ,

it signifies

which are said to grow in abundance

in the

occasionally found in great numbers (grama), the stone received the name This opiuion is expressed in a slokaof the Paiicaratragama of Saligrama.

mentioned to me by M.R.Ry- V. Tatadesikatataoaryar Alayo vajrakitas syus tadvrndam grama ucyate, Aligramasametatvat saligramas sa ucyati?. :

A wrong

conjecture connects

it

with iaila, rook.

33S

ON THE OEiaiNAL INHABITANTS

who

some form,

in

e.g.,

as Narasiiiiha,

get angry and to take revenge on

The

tlie

[cahra),

marks

easily disposed to

peculiar outward appearance of the Salagrama with

perforated hole [chidva or dvara),

its

is

incautious worshipper.

its

various

offers to the

colours

its spiral

{varna)

convolution

and other striking

untutored mind of the superstitious

beholder ample scope for astonishment and wonder, and as this stone possesses besides considerable magnetic force,

one need not be surprised that divine or supernatural powers are ascribed to it, and that it is regarded as a manifestation of the

In this light

deity.

it

was without

doubt viewed by the aboriginal inhabitants of India long before the Aryans invaded this country, and at a later period

it

attracted likewise the attention of the conquering

The several formations were eventually considered Aryans regarded the Salagrama mainly as the emblem of Visi^u, I'ace.

as representations of vai'ious deities, but the

who

in fact the only

is

in its shape,

The cause

and who

is

Hindu

deity actually worshipped

believed to really dwell in it.^^

many

of the existence of so

of the

Salagrama

will

clear,

that

pebble

this

be

various specimens

when much-waterworn

easily understood, i'^

a

it

becomes

concretion

containing Ammonites and other shells such as BrachioSiilai^rfimagirir

Hnrili,

yasmaddharis

sthitas tatra priidurbharair

anekasali.

We

PadiuapuraHa

find also tho folluiving verses in the

:

Salagi'iinia«ilayam tu sada SrTkrsnapujanam,

uityam saimihitas tatra salagrame jagadgurnh .... SalagramasilariipJ yatra tisthati Kesarah, latra di'Viiauriis sarve bliiiTanani caturdasa. lu the Brltuunorridlija the second half is " na b.^dhante grahiis lalra bhutavaitiilakadajal.i.' :

tapovanam bhagavan MadhusSdanah. Compare also Dcvimahatnnja IX, 2-1, IG Srilagramasila yatra tatra tirtham

yatali sannihitas tatra

:

SalagramasilS. yatra tatra sannihito

Haa'il.i

tatraiya Laksmir ^'asati aarvatrrthasamauvita .i

great

nnmbcr

of similar slokas could

be quoted, but these

ivill »uffioe.

339

OV EHARATAVAE6A OR INDIA. pods.

It

represented in three

is

either as an

different

unbroken pebble, or as one

so

formations;

broken that the

it is

merely an outer frag-

ment of the pebble, which shows in its

interior the impression

fossil shell

can be seen inside, or

the surface o£ the

of

'* See

shell

it

previously surrounded.^

*

A

voyage to the East Indies and China, translated from the Monsieur Sonnerat... by Francis Magnus, Calcutta, 1788, Vol. I, " The stone of Salagraman is nothing but a petrifiecl shell of pp. 40 42 the species of comes d'ammon the Indians suppose it represents Vichenou, because they discover nine different shades which refer to the nine incarnations of that god. It is found in the river of Cachi, one of the arms of the Ganges, it is very heavy, commonly of a black colour, and

French

of

—

:

.-

sometimes

violet,

the form

ties a touchstone, and

is

is

oval or round, a little

flat,

shallow in the inside, there

is

and nearly resem. only a small hole

on the ontside, but within it is almost concave, and furnished in the interior coats above and below with spiral lines, which terminate in a point towards the middle, and in many these two points touch. Some Indians imagine it is a small worm which works upon the stone in this manner to prepare a habitation for Vichenou. Others have found in these spiral lines the figure of his chakram. These stones are very rare, and the Brahmans iix a great value on them, when they represent the gracious transformations of Vichenou, but when they border a little on the violet, they denote his incarnations in the form of a man, a lion, a wild boar, &c. When that it. the case, no follower of this god dares to keep them in his house the ;

Saniassis alone are bold enough to carry them and to ceremonies to them. They are kept also in the temples."

make

the daily

T. Colebrooke, London, 1S73. " the religious ceremonies of the article on in the Note 1, Vol. Hindus and of the Brahmins specially." "The salagramas are black stones found in a part of the Gandaki river, within the limits of Nepal. They are mostly roaud and are commonly perforated in one or more places by worms, or, as the Hindus believe by Vishnu in the shape of a reptile. According to the number of perforations and of spiral curves in each, the stone is supposed to contain Vishnu in various characters ... In like manner stones are found in the Narmada, near Onhiir mSndatta, which are

Compare the Miscellaneous Essays by H. I, p.

173,

considered as types of Siva, and are called Banling. Tlie salagrama is found upon trial not to be calcareous, it strikes fire with steel and scarcely Eead also Colonel Wilford's articles on the at all eServesce-s ivith acids." ancient Geography of India in the Asiatic Researches, Vol. XIV, pp. 414, " There are four stones, which are styled Saila-maya, and are accord-

415

:

ingly worshipped, whenever they are found. The first is the Saila, or stone just mentioned (Soihnjrama); thR second, which is found abundantly in the river Sana, is a figured stone, of a reddish colour, with a supposed figure of Ganeia in the shape of an elephant, and commonly called

ON THE ORIGINAL INHABITANTS

340

In consequence of

number

fundamental diiference a great

this

of varieties exist,

which are arranged into various

classes according to the colour {bila or chidra),

shape

{varna), curl {cakra), hole

[miii-ti), size

(sthulasuksmavibheda)

circumference (parimdna), measure (p-amana), base (asana), line (mudra), separate portions (avayava), &c., of the Sala-

Another division

grama.

is

made according

to their habitat,

or place of their origin, whether they belong to the water or to the land,

i.e.,

whether they are jalaja or

sthalaja,

and

their qualities vary according to this diiference. ^^

the third, is found in the A'acm/ftada; and the fourth, a single etoneof rook, which is the Saila-maya, of the third part of the bow of Paraiurama, after it had been broken by Barnachandra. It is still to be seen, about seven Cos to the N. E. of Janaca-pura in Tairalhucta, at a place caXlei Dhanucd-grama, or the village of the bow, occasionally called

Oaneia-cd-pathar

:

is

Saila-mayd-pur, or grama, according to the Bhnvnna-coia." In a letter read at the meeting of the Asiatic Society of Calcutta in October 1830, Dr. Gerard of Subathu observed that he had discovered in a lofty position (15,000 feet) of the Himalaya range, an extensive fossil tract of shell formation of which he describes four classes, and of the fourth thus writes " Beleninites and Orthoceratites mineralized by the same material as the Ammonites (iron clay and pyrites). Their abundance in the beds of mountain torrents, especially the Gundak, has been long known, as they form an indispensable article in the uncra of the Hindu Thakoordivaree, under the name of Salagrama " (see Charles Coleman's Mythology of the Hindus, London, 1832, p. 176). Compare the Memorandum :

on the fossil shells discovered in the Himalayan mountains, by the Kev. E. Everest in the Asiatic Researches, Vol. XVIII, Part II, pp. 107 114, and

—

Observations on the Spiti Valley by Surgeon J. G. Gerard in the same volume, pp. 238 277, where we read on pp. 276, 277; that " before cross-

—

ing the boundary of

Ladak

into Basiihir I

was

by the discovery

gratified

resembling oysters and clinging to the back in a similar manner .... on the crest of a pass elevated 17,000 feet." Madriiksptre parimaiiam asanam milrtibhedakam, of a

bed

of

marine

fossil shells

"

sthiilasnksmavibhedam ca cakralaksaiiam evaca

.

.

.

Varnariipadyavayavaih pramanabilaliinchanaih, dviiradesavibhedena bhedali kasSiicit ucyate

.

.

.

OakrakiXram vinirmanam talra kuryur hi sarvasali, jalasthalamatham caiva taccakram trividham smitam.

Niskesaram kitabhnktam taccakram mathasanjfiakam. idam fva dvidha proktam jalasthalavibhedatah.

341

OF BHAEATAVAR8A OE INDIA.

The principal marks are the shape.

The

curls,

colour

holes,

and

cakras, curls, or spiral convolutions, are of the

utmost importance

(cell)

and

latter possess superior merit

and

they are divided into matha

;

The

kesara (filament).

are ascribed to the water within the stone in which the

fabulous vajrakita

and

siderable

lives. ^^

in the fortunes of those

a manner.

The

varieties of curls are con-

are credited with producing various effects

who worship

A Salagrama may have

The Cakranadi

is

stones

one

marked

to twelve

in such

such curls.

the river which abounds in Salagrama-

cakras and cakras are according to the legend even found

engraved on the heads, backs and bones of the creatures live there, on men as well as on animals.^

who ' "

Atraati

karanam yaooa

tat te samyagnigadyate,

rasam yasyam silayam tu sambhunkte kitakali sanaih. Pritya tasyam prajayeta oakram tat kesarair yutam, tasmat utpadyate oakram mathaaanjnam phalalpadam.

Cakrabhyam ca

sila

jneya sastasasta vasundhare,

yatproktam dvividham oakram tatpunar dvividham bhavet, jalajasthalajam oaiTa laksanam tasya kathyate.

Susnigdham diptisamyuktam oakram tajjalajam bhavet, karkasam ksinatejo yat tacoakram sthalajam bhavet. Etayor jalajam sastam nadiparvatayogatah, madhyamam sthalajam proktam parvatasyaiva yogatah '

'

Cakreaa kambuna va ca padmena gadayaiikita, tatra Srih pratyaham tisthet sada sampat taya viset Samacaksva param riipam cakranam laksanam mnue, .

.

.

sarvasiddhikaram oaiva sarvakamarthasadhakam.

Laksanam yaooa cakr5pam tacohrnuava mahSmune, dharmakamarthamoksanam purasarthaikahetukam. Gandakyascottare

tire girirajasya daksine,

ksetram tu Vispusannidhyam sarraksetrottamottamam. Tojanadvadasamitam bahutirthasamakulam, tatra

Cakranadlnama tirtham Brahmavinirmitanj.

Tasyottare

mahasingam mama pritikaram

tatha,

taoohayabhigatas tatra pasapasoa Khagesvara, Saccihnaisoihnitasoaiva taravo dharapitale,

narapam api pakslndra kiScit kalanivasinam Sarvasthisu bhavecoakram maBtake prstha eva ca {Qarudapurana)

ON THE ORIGINAL INHABITANTS

342

The Salagrama may be flat, rough or of

soft surface

(Bmblic Myrobalam)

is

long, small, oval, round,

and

one as small as an Amalahi

;

of

fruit

Though

most highly esteemed. ^^

generally black, Salagramas of blue, violet, green, yellow,

brown, red, white and other colours are also found. So far as the hole is concerned, those stones are particularly valued in

which the width

opening equals one-eighth of the

of the

cumference, of less value are those where fourth, while those in which

amounts

cir-

equals one-

to three-eighths are

of indifferent value. ^^

held to be

A

it

it

Salagrama without marks

every good Salagrama

Good and bad

hsetram.^'^

is

not

esteemed,*"' while

worshipped as a sacred place or

is

qualities are mysteriously con-

nected with the various Salagramas, the same stone can cause prosperity to one individual and destruction to another. shall content myself

I

with giving below a few examples of

A

the influence ascribed to the Salagrama. the wishes of the worshipper,

soft

one

fulfils

a small secures heavenly

reward, a cool gives pleasure, a black fame, a red sovereignty,

one with a wide hole destroys a family, one with crooked curls creates fear, one in which the cakras are arranged

unevenly causes misery, a smoke-coloured makes stupid, a

brown

kills

the wife of

worshipper into a

its

'-^

Tasmat

its

owner, one with

tale-bearer.'^'-

tarn pujayet uityaru

many holes

turns

However, not always

dharmakamarthasiddhayp,

tatrapyamalakitulyS aiiksma cativa ya tatha. '-^

Vittaaiitrastamo bliaga

madhyamam

uttamam cakralaksanam,

ta oatarbhagam

kaniyas

til

tribhagakam

(

Piirana-

sahgraha) "" " '

Lauohanena viua ya syat aprasasta tu sa smifca. Salagramasya yat piiayam ksetram trailokyavisrufcam, tatrasti ca Haris saksat sarvadcvais samanvitalj.

Compare oa this subject the Salagramalalcsana, Laksminamyanasamvada, Merutantra, and especially the Compendium P rlranavh-abhakti'"

ratnakara.

Sviyavarna snigdha

sila

pujya BrahmaUadyaili sukhaptaye, mantrasiddhim raksasiddhim karoti ca.

sila

OP BHABATAVABSA OE INDIA.

the same virtues and faults are in

tlie

343

various descriptions

ascribed to the same kind of stones.

A Salagrama-stone and

a Tulasi plant should be revered

in every housCj otherwise such a house

groundj''3

yet two

is

like

a burning

Salagramas together should not be

worshipped in one and the same house

a similar rule

;

applies to the linga."* A Salagrama should neither be bought nor sold for a certain fixed price, those who do not observe this precept go to hell.''^' He who offers a Salagrama as a present is regarded to have given the best Mecaka

kirttiha dhautaiigararat sa yasohara,

papcluriiparthasamani malinS papadhikari.

Pita putraphalam dadyat aravarna gutan haret,

laksmlm dhfimrabhii liarate matiiu. Eogaprada raktavariia sindarabha mahakalim,

nila sandisate

daridryakaritii vakrii

samS sarvarthasadhikS.

Sfchala nihanti caivayuh siiksma svalpamatiui

liai*et,

piijaphalam lanohitaya nisphala liluoanam viua.

Kapila oittavaikalyam uetrarogauca karbura,

bhagna bhangakari jneya bahucakrapamauadri, Laksaijantaraliina ca devaoakra viyogada,

Vrhanmakhi kalatraghni vihaccakrii sutan haret Cakram va kevalam padmalaiiohanam tvatha va gadil. Laficlianam vanamala va Harir Laksmya salia sthitali, .

.

.

tasmin gehe na daridryam na soko maraaad bhayam. Na caivagnibhayam tatra grahair dustair na badhyate,

mokso bhayam tasya piijanadeva nityasah. Yad gihe nasti tulasi salagraraasilarcanain,

ante °*

smasanasadiaam vindyat tadgiham snbhavariitam Sa dhanyalj purusoloke saphalam tasya jivitam, °*

.

.

.

salagramasila suddha gihe yasya ca pujita. Grhe lingadvayam naroyam ganesatrayam eva oa, dvau saukhau naroayennityam na saktitrayam eva ca. Dve cakre dvarakayaa tu narcyam si3ryadvayam tatha,

salagramas samah piijyah nadyayam tu kadacana. Visama na ca piijyas te visame caika eva hi, naksataih piijayet Vispum na ketakya Sadasivam. See Sarvadarsanasangraha, pp. 96

he wears three

and 97 Pafioayidham tatkrtyam srstisthitiaarhharamatirobhavah tadvadanugrahakaranam proktam satatoditasyasya. (97) and

:

•

anugrahatirobhavadanalaksanasthitilaksanodbhavalaksanakr-

tyapaiic.akakarariam. (96) '

°

'

Siva

is called,

when represented

cavaktra, Paiicanana, Pancnsya, etc.

Mahesvara, and Sadasiva, these three are under the name of see p. 385 on the five-faced liuga.

to Budra,

I&vara revered as Siva "-

Pauoamukha, Pailno special temples are dedicated

witli five faces,

-As

To Siva

;

are at diiierent times assigned two, four, eight or ten

arms image at Elephanta representing him as Mahakala has eight arms, two of which are broken, four hold a human figure, a sword, a basin and a sacrificial bellj while the remaining two draw a veil, which covers the sun and causes the destruction of the world. '

and hands

i

his

"" As such Trinayana

he

is

called Trikalajna (also the

(Trinayana),

Trinetra, Trilocana,

name

of Krsna), Trioaksus,

Tryaksa and Tryambaka.

Similarly are Zeus and Jupiter called Triophthalmos and Trioculus. According to a widely spread legend Siva placed a third eye on his forehead to prevent a re-occurrence of the calamity which happened to the

world once when Parvati in play covered his two eyes vrith her hands. Siva is described in the Vcvlhhagavata III, 3, 11—13, IX, 2, 83—88 and elsewhere

:

11 Nirgato

bhagavan Sambhur vrslrfidhah trilooanah

pancanano dasabhujah krtasomardhasekharah.

OP BHARATAVAESA OR INDIA. parallel white stripes, the

Tripundra or Vibhuti and a moon's

crescent near his central eye.

His body

jewels and gold and silver ornaments a string of flowers or a serpent

a garland of

skulls.

goes under

is

decked with

as a necklace he wears

and over

his shoulders

hangs

His abdomen covered with a coloured

with his two feet on a water

He

;

and a golden girdle encircling

clothj

367

he stands

his waist,

lily.

many names

;

the Mahabharata contains

a thousand and eight of them, and manifold are the occupations assigned to him, high

and disreputable, for he

is

and honorable as well as low

styled the general of the gods,

the king of the Bhutas, and also the lord of thieves, assum-

ing indeed occasionally the garb of the

latter.

In the braids

of his hair he intercepted on his head the Gariga, which

was descending from heaven and kept her there confined for some time until as Bhagirathi she descended below to the earth. To preserve the gods he swallowed, as already mentioned, the poison which was at the Korma-avatara

by the serpent Vasuki. To save the world from sudden darkness when Parvati had covered his eyes, he placed a third eye on his forehead. To him as well as ejected

otherwise to

Brahman is assigned

the highest of the fourteen

12.

Vyaghracarmaparidhano gajacarmottarryakah parsniraksau mahavirau Gajananasadananau.

13.

Sivena saha putrau dvau vrajamanau virejatuh, nandiprabhrtayas sarve ganapasoa varasoa

te.

83. Siiddhasphatikasankasah satakotiraviprabhah

trisSlapattisadharo 84.

vyaghracarmambaro

Taptakancanavarnabho jatabharadharalj

Harali, paralj

bbasinabhiisitagatrasca sasmitalj Candrasekharali, 85.

I'igambaro nilakanthalj sarvabhijsanabliusitah

bibhraddaksiaahastena ratnamalam susamakrtam, 86.

87.

Prajapan pancavaktreiia brahmajyotih sanatanam satyasvarupam srikisnam paramatmanam fsvaratn, Karaiiam karananam oa sarvamaiigalamangalam

janmamrtyujaravyadhisokabhitiharam param. 88.

Samstuya mrtyor mrtynm tarn yato mrtyunjayabhidhah ratnasimhSsane ramye samuvasa Harah purali.

48

ON THE ORIGINAL INHABITANTS

368

worlds, or the seventh of the upper worlds as Satyaloka, the world of the

commonly known

good and virtuous.i°*

His

favorite abode, in fact the paradise of Siva, is the top of the

high Kailasa mountain, which

His power

is

supreme, and

often frequented by Kubera.

^ .

'-'

'

by hymns.

been adapted

\^edio text, the Grayatrl, has

The most sacred

for his special glorification "'*

is

his vigor is increased

A person who does not revere

111 on p. 301. These altered versions of the Gayatri are mainly extant in the Jtrirayaiilyopanisad (a portion of the Taittiriya Araiiyaka) and in the

See Note

">=

Lingapurajaa.

In

the former extract the deities invoked are

:

Radra,

Sanmukha, Garuda, Brahman, Visiin, Narasiinha, Aditya, Agni and Durgi (standing for Durga). The prayers in the Lingapurana begin and end with Siva (Endra) and his wife Gauri (Durga), and after the verses in honour of his sons, vehicle and follower, come those concerning Visnu, Brahman and six guardians of the quarters of the world, with the omission of Kiiberaand Isana ("^iva), instead of whom stand Rndraand Durga. As I shall return to this subject I quote here in full those Danti, Nandi,

Nn rinjamydpanisad

I,

5

—7 (Telug'u edition, pp. 824, 825)

:

Purusasya vidmalj sahasraksasya mahadevasya dbimahi tanno Biidrah pracodayat. Tatpurusaya vidmahe vakratundaya dhimahi, tanno Dantih pracodayat. Tatpui'usaya vidmahe cakratundaya dhimahi tanno Nandih pracodayat. Tatpurusaya vidmahe mahasonaya dhimahi tannah San-

Tatpurasaya vidmahe suvarnapaksaya dhimahi Vrdiitmanaya vidmahr hiranyagarbhaya dhimahi taiinn Brahmh pracodayat. >i arayaRSya vidmahe vasudevilya dhimahi tanno Visnvh pracodayat. Vajranakhaya vidmahe tiksnadarastrara dbimahi tanno Xarnsimltah pracodayat. Bhaskaraya vidmahe mahadyutikaraya dhimahi tanno Adityah pracodayat. Vaisvanaraya

mvl-hah pracodayat.

tanno Garndnli

pracodayat.

vidmahe lalilaya dhimahi tanno ^-If/ni?! pracodayat. KatyFiyanaya vidmahe kanyakumari dhimahi tanno Diirla,nt

{T&mW

Masipattiri).

into the bodies of girls,

On

by applying

Wormwood

the other hand she enters

and makes them whirl round,

as

possessed by a demon, yet she removes the sin of those

address her with the holy five letters {pancciksara)

She

is

''

"^

.'^

'^

regarded as the mother of the Saiva virgins, or

Kannimar, and =

if

who

is

therefore called Saptakanycinam mdtd,

Her hj-na,me Manimantraiekharl

stones and spells.

In the following

I

refers to her

power over poison-

quote a charm against cholera, small-

pox and other diseases contained in the Gramadcvatapratisthn and ascribed to the supplement of the Atharvanave da

Vantibhedikutadaimantram, Atharvanavedam parisistam,

Vitobakan-

dalo.

"Dustorenur bhauma amonabhasvatyaddha ankto ghatuko'tatyanante, hariisamprapyaprauihimsam vidhatte tannah payadamrtesvaryamogha." Ancna mantrena amrtesvarim oatuspathamantape pratisthapya gopuranikate va tautrikamantrair aroayitva balim upahitya maharatre bahis eaniautad gramasya vadyaghosena kalamamai5]'arikalasambhaBa parisicya dovim udvasayed vamivirccanadimarikarogasantir bhavati. the pailcaksara

is

the well-known Sivnya nainuh.

OF BHARATAVAESA OR INDIA.

485

Pavadairayan, who wears the lower garment of a womaiij is considered to be her son.^ ^^ This short description of of the position this

Mariyamma may give an idea Gramadevata occupies among the Indian

people. 3.

Ahgaramma

(Aitgalamma, AnhUlamma, Ankamma).

Angaramma (Angalamma, Ahkalammaj or Ankamma) is name ahgara (in Sanskrit coal or charcoal) indicates,

as her

specially associated with fire,

tiated

by the following

and

this assertion is substan-

stories.

At the beginning Brahman was residing alone on the He dug there a deep pit, Om-gunda, filled it with sandalwood, placedon it an antilope's skin, and havingtaken Meru.

his seat

on this

pile, set fire to

when he was about mantra.

it.

to be seized

A

great flame rose, and

by the flame, he uttered a

Instantaneously the Adisakti Angalamma,

who

had never been seen or heard of previously, appeared in the flre, and demanded that he should worship her as the divine Sakti. her, but

Brahman, however, had no

promised that

Rama and

offerings to igve

Laksmaiia would adore

her at a future period.

According

to

another

legend

Angaramma was

the

daughter of a learned Brahman in the Cfila-country and

had acquired such a superior knowledge that she put to shame the greatest Paijdits of her period. These men did not like to be worsted in arguments and discussion by a young girl,

and

in

consequence conspired to disgrace her in public.

purpose they presented her with a beautiful

For smooth cloth, which would, when put on her body, unawares slip from her waist, so that she would appear without any this

2 ' " This Pavadairayan has other nick-names as Eanjoveriyan (mad through hemp, cannabis), Kanaveriyan (very mad), Ahhiniveriyan (opiummad), AHveriyan (excessively mad), Saravefiyan (wine-mad), Taniveriyan (chief of mad men), etc.

ON THE OEIGINAL INHABITANTS

486

Angaramma

clotHng before the assembly.

accepted their

present^ and divining theii' intention, put on the dress in such

a manner, that

could not

it

slip.

Thus

attired, she entered

the assembly, where she thoroughly discomfited her opponents, and outcasted those

Brahmans, who had attempted

Their meanness provoked her besides

to dishonour her.

to such a fiery rage, that she

her name.^

was burnt

to ashes,

—hence

'^

In commemoration of this event the Brahman-women

of

Bettadapuram near Mysore wear on their neck a golden image of Angaramma, besides the tali ormaiigalyam. They

same manner as Angaramma

also tie their cloths in the

on the one given to her by the treacherous Brahmans.

tied '"

'

The Rev. W. H. Campbell

Aikaramma (whom he

wi'ites in

continuation of the

first

story

Aiikalamma) and Brahman, that she appeared afterwards at midday in the city of Devagiri, when no cloud was in the sky, blazing like a thousand thunderbolts. The gods erected on her arrival a large golden temple in the city, but after a while the citizens became disgusted with her and expelled her from the town, for which she infested them with aU sorts of loathsome diseases. At last she relented, and sent her younger sister, Kollapati-Aiikamma disguised as a Yeru-

of

woman

kula

calls

into DTvagiri, to persviade the citizens to recall her.

these, however, heard

who the Yerukula woman was, and why

When

she had come,

they threw her in their rage into a prison fall of vermin. AiigSramma revenged her sister after delivering her, by catching the nine kingly brothers of Devagiri, and impaling them in her garden compound outside the city.

A

student of mine has favoured

"

A

certain

whom

me

with another version of the second

Angalamma. Brahmin was teaching the Veda to

story of Ai'ii^aramma,

he

calls

his disciples.

One

fair-

looking Pariah living iiar was constantly listening to the recitation and learnt the Veda well. One day, assuming the appearance of a Brahmin bachelor, he presented himself before the teacher of the

Veda and recited The teacher took him for a Brahmin youth and gave him hia daughter in marriage. Time passed; she became of age and was taken to her husband's home. Then she discovered that her husband was a Chandala, returned to her father and stated to him the Veda to the teacher's satisfaction.

He decided that fire alone could purify her. She went back her husband's home, set fire to it when all the inmates were asleep, and threw herself into it, but was extracted half-burnt. She has ever

the matter. to

since been roaming over the earth, doing acts of malice against mankind."

OF BHARATAVAKSA OE INDIA.

The Kuladevata of the Saiiketa-Brahmans is to this day Angaramma. In fact the

women

are very fond of

of

487

Bettadapuram

Angaramma, and her

worship preponderates among them, while among the it

is

more or

sacrifices.

On

morning at4

less confined to the

festival days the

performance

women

of

men

animal

rise early in the

and after fulfilling their domestic duties and cleaning their houses with cowdung and sprinkling cowurine on the floor, they repair with their brass- vessels to the o'clock,

nearest river or tank, to bathe and to paint themselves with saffron

is

Then they return home, take sesamum oil into their hair, which

[Palafigali manjal).

their midday-meals, put

either arranged in snaky braids or in the

entwined with flowers.

form

of a ball,

Attired in their best dresses and

wearing their many precious ornaments, they go, attended by their male-folk, to the temple of the Groddess. If a bloody sacrifice is to take place the

men bring along

with them

the sheep and cocks which are to be killed, the heads of

which animals are afterwards taken home. The women boil their rice in their brass-vessels, and are careful to see that the grains sink after boiling in a southern direction, which Round the rims of the is regarded an auspicious omen. andin front of them three lines are drawn with water mixed with ashes, and the woman who forgets to draw them, must make on the following day

vessel saffron twigs arewound,

another boiling. After the worship has commenced, and the Pariahs have struck up their music and everybody is provided with their pallayam, the Goddess enters into a woman, who dances before her shrine, consuming pails full of

saffron-water and eating heaps of margosa leaves.

After having danced for a while before Aiigaramma, she leaves the temple-compound, and returns dancing to her

home, eating and drinking in abundance all the way, Meanwhile the other people will till the fit leaves her. 63

488

ON THE ORIGINAL INHABITANTS

go on enjoying themselves, partake of their meals near

home

the temple, and return

early in the morning.

women bring at moonlight, after new image of the Goddess made by

Occasionally the

meals are over, a

and

potter,

after arranging themselves

Aiigaramma, whirl

singing the

her,

following verse, indicating while so doing the their roundelay.

The

dda

(fifth

Anjani

add all

:

kili

PaTicavarnakili

fifth time, e.g.,

parrot

puda

the

a circle round

in

round

times

ten

the

number

of

one half will begin

:

other half will

play), the

(five-coloured parrot sing), and

clapping their hands, will finish with the refrain Arputa-

may perundevi adiya Goddess the

ball)

•pantada (wonderfully plays the great

After they have sung and danced thus

.

ten times, they return If

woman

a

is

home

daybreak.

at

with

possessed

and repair in her wet clothes Angaramma, attended by her

adevil, she will bathe

image

at night to the

and an

relatives

of

exorcist.

Plantain leaves are placed before the shrine, the possessed

woman cist

will

move her head in all directions, and drum will sing

while beating a

the exor-

:

" For the kneeling legs,

mother, for the legs,

mother,

certainly (use) pomegranate-flower-ooloured trousers

having

risen,

mother,

put on the legs,

tutti-flower-coloured

;

after

mother, on the

legs,

(yellow-coloured)

trou-

sers.""* the devil what his name is, and when he naming generally one of the common Karuppaiina-

He will then ask tells it,

svamis, the

woman

will

under the influence

of the

The

touch a knot tied without her knowledge.

now be beaten

with twigs of the

gigantea), confess where and

the

woman, and promise

^'* "MandipoHakalkallukkii

why

to leave

taye

Arka

goddess

devil will

plant (Calatropis

he took possession of her,

kalkaljukku

if

he gets 3 or 4

tSyp

madulampusalla-

dam am. Tukki vaita kalkallnkku taye kalkallukku taye tuttipSsalladam am.

OB'

panams

The woman

of arrack to drink.

takes a big stone and hurls is

supposed to dwell.

Her

it

on an iron

nail

and

fix it

after this gets up,

where the devil and the exorcist run

at the tree,

relatives

from her

after her, cut the above-mentioned knot it

489

BHAEATA.VAK8A OE INDIA.

on the

tree.

wind

hair,

The woman

will

then bathe and be free from the devil.

When

only unbloody offerings are presented to Aiigar-

amma, she is called Kanakammal. The statue of Angaramma resembles those of Ellamma and Mariyamma. She also appears in a sitting posture, with four hands, two of which are raised while the two others

The raised hand on the right carries a weapon wood and leather, round which is wound a serpent, while

are bent. of

that on the left contains a noose (pdsa), with which she attracts the souls of the

dead

;

one of the other two hands

empty, in the fourth she wears the head of Brahman. her head

is

placed a crown, behind

liei-

is

On

ears are two flowers

and in them are two big earrings, while the locks of her hair are raised. Beside her stand two lamps, which are, however, not always burning.

In her

temples,

which

resemble those of the previously mentioned Gramadevatas,

and which are generally situated near

Angaramma

generally carved out of

Irulan

(a

or fords,

rivers

stands in the inner apartment, and in the outer,

wood

ai-e

found Periijatamhiran,'^'' ^

savage forester), Banaviran, a valiant demon who resembles Ranaviran j the

Virahhadra, Pavadaivlran,

A^igels of Life (the TJyirttundilharar)

who have been mention-

ed previously as attending on Ellamma, and are in the same capacity utilised by Angaramma; a woman who committed suicide by springing into the fire, was burnt, and did

many wonders

after her death,

whose name

is

in Tamil

is according to some the god whom Others make liim the husband of Isvara. displace to chosen had Daksa Aigaramma and the chief of the devils. If sacrifices are offered to him, he does do no harm. See Ziegenlalg, p. 167. a

'

5

Periyatambirdn, the great god,

ON THE OUIGINAL INHABITANTS

490

Tikkudittammal; and lastly a powerful demoness Kufteri,ol

wliom the people are very mucli afraid. At least, once a week, on Fridays, Aiigaramma is worshipped in her pagoda. Like the other Gramadevatas she also has a yearly festival celebrated in her honour.

a feast lasts about eight days, but ^'° Tlie Rev.

U N.

Tlinjiissen,of

" In the year 1884 many down, having been set fire

alleged,

fires

''

Such

the Aiiiericau Baptist Mission, gave

Aiigaramma

many

'

has no certain fixed

the following description of a festival of of the to, so

-

at

Vinnionda

me

:

thatched honses of the town burned

it is

by an insane man.

The

who began to enquire what goddess they Brahmin Karnam and others said that Ankamma

frightened the natives

had offended, and the was destroying their houses and would soon kill the cattle and children, if she were not propitiated by sacrifices of buffaloes, sheep and cocks. At once all the Hindus of A'innkonda, a large town of about 5,000 inhabitants, situated about 250 miles north of Madras in the Kistna District, secured sheep, tied wreaths of margosa leaves round their necks, and placed them outside of their houses on the street.

Carta were decorated by painting the wheele, and gaudy standards were fastened on them, some 20 feet high, and on Sunday afternoon the people went to the Ankamma temple, a tumble-down building about 6 feet wide, 10 feet long and

In a corner of this place was a high and 8 inches wide, which represented

7 feet high.

common stone, about Iv feet Ankamma. The stone was

mouth and nose put on

it, a red cloth with some tinsel was were placed before it. Each cart was driven three times around the temple, and then the sacrifices were killed with a sickle-shaped knife before the idol, some of the sheep being impaled by placing tlieir sternum vipon a sharp post and pulling them doivn, so that the wood pass('d through their bodies. The excitement about Ankamma increased, and soon the surrouudiuii- villages sent carts and sacrifices to the Vinuconda Ankamma. Messengers who professed to be possested by Ankamma went from village to village, telling people to come and worship this Graniadevata. Every day of the week carts came bringing worshippers and sacrificers, but Thursday and Sunday were considered the most propitious days, and on these days sometimes as many as 70 bufilaloes, 2,000 Ankamma was said to burn sheep, and numberless cooks were killed. houses, kill cattle, cause cholera and give children to barren women, who, after sleeping tliicc nights near the temple were to become pregnant.

painted, eyes,

wrapped around

it,

and

light.s

Some boys and dancing girls professed to be incarnations of Ankamma, and these would sometimes fall into convulsions and prophesy. The oldest inhabitant of the place did not

remember the time when this idol Ankamma so long was held to

had before been worshipped, but neglecting be the cause of

all

the calamities that befel the people."

Of BHAEATAVAKSA OB INDIA. date.

round

491

The brazen image of the Gramadevata is carried morning and evening, and on the evening of

in the

the last day

the villagers, especially the

all

women with

their daughters, assemble before

her pagoda, and light

everywhere

a portion of which they

fires for

cooking

rice,

present to the goddess and her attendants, whilst they distribute the remainder

among

rice-fires are thus lit

themselves. Hundreds of such by the women round the temple, and

illuminate the neighbourhood, while the pigs, goats

men

sacrifice cocks,

and buffaloes, part of which they present cooked

to the goddess. If a person

possessed with a devil, he

is

is

brought

to the

temple of Angaramma, whose principal ofiice it is to proA sacritect men from jungle, field, and domestic demons. fice

is

then offered, the demoniac

image, a drum [loamhai) of the goddess,

is

placed before the

beaten, praises are sung in honour

and the other necessary ceremonies are per-

formed, by which the demon victim.^

is

is

compelled to leave his

"' 4.

PidUri

2

'

8 is

Pidari.

one of the most widely worshipped and most

mischievous Gramadevatas- Her temples, large and small, are

found everywhere, especially in South India. She

is

reputed

have a very passionate and irascible disposition, and she is for this reason represented on her images with a red-hot face and body, and on her head is burning fire. She sits on her to

throne or rather on the altar, with a crown on her head,

and the emblems her hair stand up them.

of Siva erect,

From the slit flaps

on her forehead.

The

locks of

and ornaments are entwined in of her ears

hang pendants above

and below, and two flowers are fastened behind her ears. She carries in her four hands a drum fastened to a snake, - ' '

See Ziegenhalg about Aiikalamma,, pp. 164

— 169.

^'» There are seven kinds of Pidari, the EUaippidnri stands on the

boundaries, another

is Kcmtijipidari.

492

ON THE OEIGINAL INHABITANTS

a trident, the skull of Braliinan and an elephant's goad.

As

a rule there

own, and she

is

Gramadevatas.

no other image in her temple than her not surrounded by deities, as are the other is

Near her own image stands

occasionally

Vighnesvara, and at the entrance of her temple are placed

two gigantic and horribly shaped demons or Munnadiydr. Where he-r temple is large, she is surrounded by her generals with their soldiers.

eighteen

In front of her

shrine stand a married couple of trees, a Pipal (E'icus religi-

and a Margosa.

osa)

These trees must be above twent}'

The

years old before they can be used for worship. couple

played

is

duly married with

hood, in order to take

When

in

another

to this pair,

its

consequence

tree-

the necessary ceremonial dis-

human weddings. In

:it

happening

reason,

all

case of is

any thing untoward

planted in

neighbour-

its

place eventually.

of

drought, murrain, or some other

appears desirable that Pidari should be wor-

it

Brahmans

shipped, the

of the village are consulted,

and

if

they give in their assembly, or Mahmiddu, a favourable reply, preparations are at once

made

for its celebration and

wubsuriptious collected.

In case of a murrain the ryots choose generally a young fat bull as

a worthy gift to Pidari, which,

with a trident free will,

till

(triinlla), is

the time of

its

end comes, and

Irom among the other bulls to be

These special

when

the temple

in front of

the

field,

it.

when marked its own

allowed to roam about at

sacrifices are also celebrated is

carefully decorated

The

it is

sacrificial bull is

on a Friday,

and pandals erected then removed from

bathed in the neighbouring tank or

taken to the temple.

As soon

chosen

sacrificed.

as this is

river,

and

done the Pujari

rings the bell in the morning, as a sign that the feast has

begun. Fire-treading, though at these

ceremonials.

in

an altered form, figures also

Those who have made

this

vow

493

Of BHAEATATAESA OE INDIA.

prepare themselves by previous fasting, and right

arm

To

saffron colour. to

keep

tie

round their

dyed with

a fortnight before the feast a string

this string is attached a small iron ring,

the devils, as the evil spirits cannot stand the

off

When

proximity of iron.

the time has approached, they

walk through the fire-ditch, which is 45 feet long, 5 feet broad and 3 feet deep, and after having performed this religious feat, they take off the saffron-tie and dedicate it to Pidari.

At

3 o'clock in the afternoon the sacrificial bull, richly

decorated,

He

streets.

conducted in procession through the main

is

tied with

is

two strong ropes or even with

Music goes along with

iron chains.

palmyra leaves are dragged behind in present,

when

it

this troupe its

track.

and dried

The women

passes their houses, a mixture of water

with saffron, lime and margosa leaves {nalaiigu) contained shallow brass-trays, and pour

in

of their houses.

After the

it

first

afterwards out in front

has finished

its circuit,

a

second procession starts from the temple on the same road as the previous one, but the formerly dry palmyra leaves are

now dragged behind

all

ablaze in flames, which are

kept up by pouring ghee on them.

undertaken sacrifice.

to

A

This ceremony

is

prevent hostile spirits interfering with the third circuit

is

made

after this second has

reached the temple, and numerous three months' old lambs are sacrificed on

its

way

in all the

is

mixed with

the devil.

rice

and thrown into the

Women

and in The flowing blood

street corners

places which are said to be haunted.

air as

an oblation

to

and children are allowed to witness this

After this is over, the women return to their homes, to take their evening meal. They then assemble in a lonely place, generally on a sandbank formed by a stream, or in a tank, where they erect two inches above the ground procession.

a square platform, in the centre of which they place a new

494

ON THE ORIGINAL INHABITANTS

and clean pot, whose mouth is covered with a fibreless cocoanut which is surrounded by flowers. This pot [haraham) is

then amidst

i.he

sounds of music (Kottumelam) taken up

by a properly trained man, who places it on his head and performs the wildest dance without letting it drop to the ground.

At

last at

about 11 p.m. the

bull,

surrounded by torch-

and attended with music, appeal's on the

lights

the people are already assembled, and a

the bull has been dug.

A

the moat are provided.

The

pole

spot,

moat

as

where

high as

and a cross-bar over

bull

is

under the

placed

Towards midnight only

cross-bar and tied to the pole.

a

few men have the courage to remain, most slink away out till at last, when only a of fear of the dreadful goddess ;

few are present, Pidari

will possess a

lying ready will at one stroke cut

While the outpouring blood mixed with out

:

rice,

Oin enru

sadaksaram

!

man who

off

with a sword

the head of the bull.

collected in a basin and

is

man addresses the goddess, crying am enru sol, akaradi ukaradi adakkam

a

sol,

Vali,

Kapali,

Nili,

Neru, Mali, Bhairavi,

Camundi, Vallavi, Uddaiidakali, Ohkarakali, odi va, odi odi

va (come running)

Another man throws

!

soaked in blood into the

and he

is

bound with iron chains and dragged away by

friends, lest the

With

rice balls

as an offering to the devils,

air

this the

evil spirits

ceremony

va,

his

should catch hold of him. ceases, the goddess

and the people return homo. between seven and eight days,

An is

annual

is

appeased

festival, lasting

held in her honour out of

gratitude for the protection she vouchsafes to

men

against

the machinations and attacks of the devils, as whose queen

she was for this purpose appointed,

when

she was expelled

from heaven aud banished

owing

to her malicious

and

mischievous character.

to earth

But

before her image of stone, once a

at

her pagoda, especially

week

libations are poured

OF BHAEATAVABSA OE INDIA.

495

and offerings

of fruit and animals are made. Those who hang, or poison, or drown themselves, or die a sudden

who

death, or

consequence of having maliciously torn

die in

their tongues out of their snakes,,

become 5.

of

Amba

and

Bhadrakdll.

Bhadrahati,

own mouths,

join the

6.

Camunda.

Camunda and Durga

or are killed by-

company 7.

of Pidari.^^^

Durgci.

represent three aspects

or Sakti in her passionate character or in her dark

Kali

colour.

devils

monly known country),

ur Bhadrakali, the auspicious Kali,

com-

Kaliyamma or Kalamma (as in the Tulu the tutelary deity of Calcutta, became after her as

expulsion from heaven in consequence of her savage disposition

— hence also called i]\eAghurasa}tti—the queen of the

female demons. Yet, in spite of her fierce and cruel tempera-

ment she protects men against demons.

Siva

is

said to

have competed with her in dancing at Cidambaram and surpassed her in this performance.

Siva

is

therefore in the

Tamil country known as the Peyudddi, he who danced with a

devil,

and for

dancing position.

this

reason

Kali

is

represented in a

She wears on her head a

fiery

crown

entwined with snakes, Siva's signs are marked on her forehead, two lion-fangs protrude from her mouth, she pos-

hands of which two are clapped together and two empty, while of the remaining six the throe on the right side carry respectively a rope, a parrot and a spear, and the

sesses ten

drum [da'inaru) with a snake, fire Besides her own images there are found in

three on the left side a

and a trident. her pagodas those

of

Vighnesvara, Virabhadra and AghOra.

Aghora, an euphemistic expression, is in reality an avatara of Siva who rushed out of the linga in order to destroy the giant Marutta, to

whom Brahman had

promised invincibi-

2'" See Ziegenbalg, pp. 176, 176.

64

ON THE ORIGINAL INHABITANTS

496

and who had made himself unbearable by tion and violence against gods and men.^^o lifcy

To Kali bloody

sacrifices are offered^

not only animals, but up to late at present)

—human beings.

his

and the victims are

— (and who knows

The

presump-

not even

if

investigation against the

Kulin-Brahmans in the Mahratta country showed

common

of

what

occurrence were these religious murders, commit-

ted under the pretence of gratifying the goddess, but really

done for the sake of Bhavani,

themselves

Kali, under the

of covetousness.

name

was the goddess of the Thugs, who regarded her

faithful

while pursuing their

followers

nefarious profession.

Caniunda also in her

a counterpart of Kali, and resembles her

is

outward appearance,

her erected hairlocks,

in

her fiery complexion, and her two lion-fangs.

She

has,

howevei, only four hands, two of which stretched out up-

wards carry respectively the weapons of Visnu, a conch and a disc, while the other two are joined and open. Under her feet lies the head of the Mahi.>asura, whom she killed, for

which deed she

Her temples

is

celebrated in Jlysore.

also generally contain the figures of Vigh-

nesvara, Yirabhadra (mostly dilkarar,

made

of

wood), the Uyirttuii-

and the devil who acts as her aide-de-camp

hdrappvy)

.

assists the

Camunda

[eval-

confers valour on her adherents, and

wizards in their magic arts, and she

is

invoked

by those sorcerers with special spells.^*'

Durga (Durgamba, Durgamma, Durgiyamma, Durgyamma) is represented with the face of a sheep while 'killi'D g Simharniikhasur a on whose lion-head her feet are resting. She is likewise of a fiery temper, wears golden ornaments, pearls and gems on her head, has the emblems of Siva on her forehead, and carries

in her sis

hands a

— 174.

'""

Compare

= 1

See Ziegenhalri, pp. 176—187.

'

Ziegenbalg, pp. 170

ring, a sword,

OF BHAEATAVAESA OE INDIA.

497

a trident, an elephant's goad and a

human head. The giant Simhamukhasura had been appointed by Aiyanar superintendent of his garden, and fought with Durga, when she was trespassing and doing mischief in it. As Durga killed him, she was ordered to look after men and protect them on earth, with the further obligation to

obey the orders which

Aiyanar would give her.^^^ It is not necessary to describe

these three goddesses, as

The legends concerning Bhadrakdi,

Gramadevatas."8 3 ^'^^

See

^'^ p.

is

178—180.

Burgh compare the paper

sacrifices to

" In BaniTikal the village goddess

:

year there she

Ziecjenbalrj, pp.

Abont the

267

a festival in her honour.

is

specially the worship of

resembles that of the other

it

is

called

of Mr. F. Fawcett,

Durgamma, and every

Tn her temple outside the village

usually represented by five conical earthen symbols called Kelu.

The temple is built over a snake's hole, and besides it is a large margosa The tree and the snake (if there is one) are sacred, and considered tree. The pujari, whose ofiice is hereditary, is a to be symbols of Durgamma .

Boya by

caste.

goddess,

viz.,

.

In his house he keeps the more important symbols of the

two tiny images

of

Basavana

;

a cane staff 3 feet in length

almost covered with silver bands (the offering of devotees) and surmounted

by a size

.

cobra's head in silver; a female face also in silver, and nearly .

.

represent well,

On

the

day

first

Durgamma,

of the feast the symbols,

which

life-

collectively

some water, any tank or and afterwards, together with a new pot

are carried on a litter to

and washed by the

j^ujari;

with water, carried to the temple and put in the place of the Kelu, which are removed to one side and ornamented with bangles. The silver face is erected on a stick behind the pot of water and a woman's cloth is The other symtied to it just under the face and over the pot of water.

filled

bols are placed beside

it,

the snake upright.

The symbols are decorated

with flowers, leaves of the Bilva (Aegle marmelos) and some leaves of the betel-nut tree, while wave oiferings of camphor are made by the pujari.

A

buffalo bull

to the temple

;

is

then driven through the village streets with tom-toming ram is brought too. These are not devoted animals,

a black

but have been purchased for the feast. They are washed at the temple, decorated with red powder, and beheaded with a weapon, shaped like a battle-axe, in front of the goddess

by one of the Boyas goddess (the place

is

;

the sheep

first,

the buffalo afterwards,

The sheep's head is buried in front of the marked by a small stone), and the buffalo's head is

present.

front of the goddess, placed in a miniature temple about 30 feet in

its

ON THE OEIGINAL INHABITANTS

498

Camunda and Durga

moreover, so well known, as they

are,

are described in the Sanskrit Puranas, that I need not dilate

on them. These three have

also

much in common

with

each other and are distinguished in appearance from the

These four have

previously described four Gramadevatas.

throughout human features, while Kali and Camunda have

and Darga has the head

lion-faDgs,

a sheep; they are

of

represented in a sitting posture, while the other three do or even riding. sit, but are either dancing, standing, These seven, with the two wives of Aiyanar (of whom

not

right foreleg in the

stomach, some

Then,

mouth

flour,

a

;

and on the head are placed some fat from the manure, and a lamp

little

men and women

Boya

of the

dess, divest themselves of clothing

caste

who

in an earthen vessel.

are under vows to the god-

and dressed from chin

gosa leaves, walk thrice round the temple.

to feet in

mar-

After this they go home, put

on new cloths and bring each a black sheep as

a.

sacrifice to the goddess.

These sacrificed animals are afterwards eaten, the heads being given to musicians and servants. The sheep that was

and with some

at the temple,

ple, after offering

By

the goddess.

some this

to the

time

first sacrificed is

flour eaten there

by

all

margosa tree and to the other symbols of 9 p.m. and the symbols are carried back

it is

to the pujari's house, a Madiga, with the buffalo's head on his

the procession. his

own

A

The

then cooked

the flesh-eating peo-

pujari iDours the water

away and

own

leading

retains the pot for

use."

similar description

is

temple of Durgamma.

given further on, in which

it is

said

"

:

Near

Five stones represent her in her temple.

is

a

The

people start in procession with music to a tank, the pujari (a carpenter) carrying the kelu going

carrying a cloth, in

new

which

betel-nuts

first

and following him one

of his household

earthen pot with a man's cloth tied round is

a piece of turmeric, round

and cocoannt

fruits.

Gaugamma

its

and a small it

some

(the tank) is worshipped by

breaking cocoannts and carrying burning camphor, the pot

is filled

with

marked with red powder and turmeric. The pot water and the kelu represent the goddess. They then go in procession

water, and the kelu of

it

neck, and inside

is

to the temple, the kelu is placed in

front of the five stones, and the pot go with music to bring Durgamma's image from the pujari's house, where it is kept, to her temple. The wooden image is dressed

next

it.

All

and adorned

;

and the pujari carries

it

on his head to the temple

.

.

."

499

of BHAKATAVAESA OE INDIA.

speak afterwards), form the nine Saktis, and are the

I shall

principal Gramadevatas.

According

Sakti as a Gramadevata, she

one and

Mother, Kattayi

is

called the Mother, Tiiy

Mother, EhamCda, Egattal

principal

Bgamman, Egatte

Madras),

(iu

;

Tanciyamman

Goddess,

Kalliydniy animal

ammaii

;

Ekavalli

;

the

;

;

;

or

the

(Egatta,

the protecting

the good Mother, Nallattal

of righteousness, CeZte^i (Celvayi,

tering

Amba

to the various qualities ascribed to

;

the goddess

Celliyamman)

;

the shel-

the auspicious Goddess,

self-existing

Goddess, Tantbniy-

the Mother of welfare, GtmUtte

(in

Perambur)

;

the

small Mother, Omnammat; the young Mother, Tayilulamman

(Balamba).

When

amvian ; when

granting coolness she

carrying a conch she

is

is

the Kuluntiy-

Geiikodiyamman

when wearing anklets Cilambcdtal, when flowers Cevantiyarnman, when a garland of pearls Kolamaniyammal ; when lotus-eyed Mundahkanniyamman ; when of green colour Facciyamman or Faccaiyammal. She grants conception to women as Paindiyamman (though as such she should perhaps be regarded as one of the Balagrahas, or as a Ksudradevata).

women

as

She

invoked especially in Mysore by barren

is

Unmattambd to bestow children, and heals boils She is the goddess of war as Genaiyditdl,

Bobbalamma.

as

of the spear as Vildttdl

;

the mother of snakes as Nagdttdy.

and is as such the Uttukkdttammam or Uramman,''^'^ or Geniyammal (from Sreni, row) She

^

S.

"*

protects the village

About the worship

India by F. Fawcett,

of

Uramman compare

p. 274, "

The Village Festivals in

In Kudligi the village goddess

is

Uramma

performed in this way. As a preliminary the headmen of the village meet on a Tuesday and lake five new earthen vessels to the temple and put in each five duddns,' half a seer of rice, five oocoannt fruits, and five betel-nuts; and put one vessel in each corner and one near

and her

festival is

'

who is now out being painted. Her image is of margosa wood. The pots are covered, and on the centre one is placed a lamp which must not be extinguished for 8 days, while the vessels remain Brahmins worship the pots with offerings of cooked as they were placed. the place of the goddess,

rice

and other food,

etc."

500

ON THE ORIGINAL INHABITANTS

she protects

soil as

tlie

Mannamma (Mantamma);^^^

she

Maratha country Navaratri-festival Mahalui Mdta, the as during adored when on the northern gate of a village she is called Vadalchuvacaldyi ; where three roads meet^ as in the Blackguards the various streets and

town

MadraSj she

of

is

known

is

in

the

as the

MuccancUyamman,

in

Sanskrit as Trisandhlsrarl, the Latin Trivia. Sailors

when

the favour

who

at sea^ or those

Alaimotiynvimul,

of

while some ascribe to the seven

the

travel

Kannimdr or

the Sanskrit Kanya, virgin) the charge the forests and hills.

Many Gramadevatas 28=

;-;pg ihideiii,

p.

named

virgins (from rivers in

after the villages they

:

1

sea^ solicit

of the

270 (The goddess) of Hiirlipalis called

expensive, as

lier festival is

are

by

Sanskrit Kallulini,

Mannamma and Preliminary

,2S0 seers of rice are required.

which occnpies 5 days, three seers of paddy are poured on the floor of a Madiga's house -water mixed -with jaggery is also poured on The toddy is it, and a new pot of date palm toddy is placed thereon. purchased and not devoted in any way. It is left so for 5 days, or until the paddy sprouts, as it generally does on the third day; and tlje sooner to the festival,

;

omen

for the

coming season.

The

it

does the better the

is

hereditary and he receives a share of the income or profits of the

lladiga's

office

The night after the paddy sprouts the festival begins by the Madipa carrying the pot of toddy t(j the goddess's temple and placing it on a platform in front of it. It is worshipped there during the following

temple.

Tn the afternoon of the next day, Mariamma, another goddess,

dav.

is

wheeled on her little car, to the left side of the door of Mannamma'a temple, and left there. At 3 p.m. a buffalo is sacrificed to the right of the temple door, liy a Madiga. On the next days, 1,280 seers of i-ice are boiled, a sheep is sacrificed wliere the buffalo was, and every bit of its blood, bones and its all, is mixed with the rice and scattered round about outside the village.

black

ram

sheep

is

temple,

day

is

is

This occupies

bitten to death by a

all

night

On

the next day

buried with the pot of toddy to the right of the

ilariamma

is

n,

small

Poturaz, as described before, and this

then wheeled back to her temple.

occupied in general worship of the goddess.

or i;eneral feasting. (I have retained the

The

There

name Mannamma,

is

door of the fifth

and last

no drinking

as

it

appeared

in the first print of Mr. Faweett's article in the iladras Moil, instead of

Wannamma,

as

it

was afterwards

printed).

501

OP BHARATAVARSA OR INDIA. protect or perhaps the villages after them^

e.g.,

Ocuramman

(Hosur in the Salem district), Kaccipioatiijal (Kanjivaram), Kadumbcidiyammdl, Ki iriltattammal, Kblaramma, Samayapurattdl (Samayapuram near Triohinopoly), Padaivlttam-

man,

etc.

The Grramadevata

also associated

is

with auimals,

e.g.,

with serpents, scorpions, birds and trees. The Gramadevata of

Kolar or Kolaramma

scorpion), for

is

called Vrscikt'svarl (from vrscika,

she heals those

who have been stung by

scorpions; the tutelary deity of Pittapur or

Kukliufesvarl (from

Icuhkida, cock).

ValmiMnl, the mother

of

is

Kuhkutjimha

Puttiilainma

white ants)

is

worshipped

(or in

from puttiha, in Sanskrit white-ant. Trees are often regarded as personating the deity, and the villagers in Guzerat throw pieces of rags on trees

Putturu

;

which they intend to worship, especially on the Saral An tree, converting it into a deity by this ceremony. instance of this custom supplies the worship of the Tamil

Yahkalddevl,

who

is

the patroness of

Certain

Calatropis gigantea. this

the

Brahman

Arka plant families

or

worship

Tahkavivia (Arkamma, Arkavrksastha or Arkesvarl)

The EUaikaramma is revered bybetel. The Panaivenyamvuin

as their Kuladevata.

gardeners who cultivate

(from jjanai, palm tree or talavrksa)

and other palm

trees,

as Balabhadrika she

and

is

is

thus

is

fond

of

palmyra

known as Talaoasint come into existence

said to have

The Puliyi-daivaliyamman is associated with the Tamarind tree puU, under which Mariyam-

after Balabhadra.

man

also resides.^*''

Ettiyaniman from

etti, wvlsl

vomica,

protects against the poison of that fruit; she has a temple in Pumnii.

The Asaldttdl derived from Asala,

a maid-

servant of Sabari, an incarnation of Parvati, at the time Siva had assumed the form of a hunter or sabara,

when

^ = °

Under a tamarind

tree

was born Namtnalvar or Sathakopa,

502

ON THE ORIGINAL INHABITANTS

protects from wild beasts^ serj^ents

asalamantra

is

uttered in order to

and thorns^ and the avoid them. The well-

known 'I'elugu Gramadevata Polerammaj Poleriyammal, who is connected with small-pox and thus associated with p. 471 is by others Holeyaramma, the goddess of

Mru'iyamma, as mentioned above on explained as identical with

the Holeyas or Pariahs, and therefore called Caijdalamatr,

Polalamma

Matahgi, or Palagaun. of

mentioned as a

is

sister

Aiikalamma. Surpanakha, the well-known sister of Ravana,

Larasu, a person

who has her nose

cut

off,

is

as

Muk-

revered in the

villages of the ISIilagiri mouutaius.^®^

In the various sacrifices mentioned -''

aLiu\'e,

repeated allu-

Besides these village goddesses I may mention Accammill (Yaca corrupted form of Laksmi), Akkadevatalii (.in Pedda Gerukiiru), :

c;ii]una,

Alamantal, lorOj

AUamma,

Aiicainmal

(in Chittnr),

Aiudyamman near Banga-

one of the personated siddhis, aiiiman, mahimanj laghiman, garinian,

pi-i^pti, r)iiikam}-a, is:itva

and

vasitva), Aracattal,

Aracattamman, Aratam-

ma, Aretamma in Kodayalizru), Aiapnra, Auvaiyar, Ayijamnian (in Ukkal), Ba,'cal^, Bahucarg, Balamnia, Baiigaranima, Bantadeyade (Tula), i

Bhramaramba, Canalamma, Caugalamma, Cai'igalammal Oavuramma, Ceiicaninia, Ceiikalawiyamma], Deyallanima, Devyammai, Ekavirika (in Mapuri), Elaiikaliyamma, Elamatticchi, Elugulamnia, Ennamma, Galagalanima, Gaiigamma (in GaiigaBecarajl, Berai,

{in tfarinahalli, brick-goddess),

Gangauamma, Ganteramniaj Iriciyammau, Irulattammanj Julamina, Jogulamba (in Alampnri), Kadambariyammanj Kamamma, Kedaranima (in Bellari), Kiratamma, Kommamma, Kduamma, Kondamma, Kiiridalamma, Konelamba, Kotanima, Kimalamma, Kandiyamman, Kuppamma, Kiiialamma, liladdalamma, Malamma (of the mountain), Mamillatiima, Maiii^aliyamman, Mantiyamman, JIarakI, Maramma, pattauani), Gaiigayya,

Jlarellamma, Xlfiremma, Jlelkattai, Mnracauiman, Muduccattfil, Mukundi-

yamman, Mnkambri,

Mullittumaiigiliyamman,

Murukattal,

Naociyar,

Nagamambii, Magalamma, Niikalainma,01amma,( bnattal (sister of Etliyamman), Pi'iliyamman, Pallalamma (in Vanapalli), Panaiyattal, Panaiyattamman, Paudellamma, Patalapoa ;iiyamraan, Ppramma, Poriyammai, Peddaci Pdlakamma, Polakamma (in Indukilrn) Ponuiyarnmi, Pnllamma, Punkoiiyammal, Pnnnalamma, Pciffalamma, Puttamma, Suranima, Tallamma, Tattamiiia, Timmamma, TulakS'; animan, Udisalamma, Uggamma, Uiiknl-

amma. Valliyammal, Vantipiinniyamman, Vadavudj'amman, Yellaiyantmal, Velagalamma, Yellamma, Yenyamma, Veiikammal, Viramma, etc., etc. Compare above pp. 184, 185 abont Bilvana's connection with the Tortas.

OP BHAEATAVAESA OR INDIA. sion has been

made

to the

503

custom of representing the god-

dess by pots, so that the existence of a special Gramadevata, pot-goddess, need not surprise

as

Tamil Kumbattdl, rese Garigadiuara.

us. She is Kumbhamdtd, and

in Sanskrit

In Tamil such a pot

called

is

The position of the G-ramadevata as chief non-Aryan population, has been proved, I

called in

KanaKaraham. in

deity of the trust,

by the

description contained in the preceding pages, however in-

complete and even inaccurate

An is

it

may be

some respects. the Gramadevata

in

important feature of the worship of

the fact that not only does the well-to-do rural popula-

tion devote itself religiously to the strict performance of all

prescribed ceremonies, but also the lowest layers of

we have

the Indian people, the Pariahs, play, as

leading part in them-

It is

they

who

in fact

seen, a

perform the

and become possessed with the goddess, before whose presence they appear in persou. The prominent posisacrifice

tion of the Pariahs at the festivals of

been already noticed, and occasion that the

greater

intimately connected

it

has

number

with

Brahmanic shrines has been proved on that of such

were

shrines

which the now

legends, in

despised Pariah was the favorite of the

divinity.^

^ 8

j

consequence entitled to infer that these Brahmanipagodas occupy at the present day the sites of former

felt in

cal

places of Pariah

worship, and that the Pariahs, though

deprived of their property, had managed to retain some title to it,

which seemed

their presence

religious rites.

to be admitted

by the

fact that

was required for the solemnization Still, this

of

the

participation of the Pariahs in

the festivals at Brahmanical temples

is

not so surprising as

the presence and assistance of Brahmans at the feasts of

may be scorned Brahmans, but which is

the Gramadevatas, a participation which

by many

pious and

intelligent

"»

See pp.

50—56,

451.

65

504

ON THE ORIGINAL INHABITANTS

nevertheless a well-known fact, proving the influence which superstition exercises on the

may

human mind, however

free

it

boast to be.

These variously named Gramadevatas are

essentially

all

same nature, and so are also the rites performed The majority of the names of the at their festivals. Gramadevatas I have quoted, are taken from the vernaof the

culars of Southern India, but their exact counterparts will also

found

be

Hindustan.

mainly

to

I

GuzeratI

in

the tutelary

spite of all

my

and

in

have been compelled

languages

the to

Southern India, for in

deities of

endeavours, I was unable to obtain satis-

factory and trustworthy information from districts of India.

I

am, however,

pervade

From

cracies.

Finally,

it

same

that the

non-Aryan

India, though differences

the

Northern

the knowledge I have obtained,

of opinion

whole

the

may

may be

religious

population

exist

owing

the

ideas

throughout

to local idiosyn-

necessaiy to repeat that in

the Gramadevata the people revere their local deity, protects

of

confine myself

soil of their village

or

who

town —-or by whatever

—

name we may call the community from all sorts of calamities, who grants rich crops and supplies sufficient food for men and beast. She represents the Mother Earth, the Prakrti,

the prototype

the

of

power which afterwards

developed into that of Sakti.

On Aiyanar {Ayyappa In the preceding pages

1

or Sdsta)-

have repeatedly alluded

to

AiyanUr by which name the Supreme God of the GaudaDravidians is principally known in Southern India, while the Kanarese people call him Ayyappa. 2 89 He is indeed the highest 2*"

ruler

among

the

non-Aryan aborigines

of

this

About Aiyanar compare Ziei/enl/a/^, pp. 148—156; see also the short note about him by the Eev. F. Kittel in the Indian Antiquary, Vol. II, p. 168.

505

OF BHABATAVAKfiA OE INDIA. country, and ruler,

by which term he

Aiyanar

sion

therefore very appropriately called Sdsta,

is

is

is

Tamil, but

The expres-

generally named. its first

portion, Aya, Ayya, or

Aiya contains the ancient Gauda-Dravidian word for father,

and master, while the plural termination ar added to the Kanarese affix appa, I do father, in Ayyappa indicates the same meaning. or Gauda-Dravidian word Aya, Ayya not believe that this Aiya is derived from the Sanskrit word Arya, respectable, though the latter term has in some cases been really lord

the Tamil Aiyan expresses honor

changed

;

Gauda-Dravidian dialects into aiya, aya or

in

ayya.

The

Aiyanar has much decreased in course of much perhaps among the raral people, who

influence of

time, but not so

both love and dread him. of the Bhotas, or inflicting

harm on

of

He

uses his position, as Chief

the Ghosts,

men,'^^"'

to

restrain

them from

Mounted on a wild elephant hand over hills and dales

or on a horse, he rides sword in to

country from

clear the

all

obnoxious

spirits.

It is

generally believed that at midnight, preceded by heralds,

and followed by

his retinue,

Aiyanar leaves

his residence

go a hunting. All ride at an awful pace with swords in Any one their hands and surrounded by torch-bearers. to

who meets

this

hunting party on the road, meets a certain

death,

and the

sight of Aiyanar, Aiyankdtci,

much

feared.

The people, however,

is

therefore

praise his kindness

280 See Ziegenlalg, pp. 152, 153: " Wenn die Teufel wider Aiyanars Willen den Mensolien einigen Schaden zufugen, so straft und peinigt Seine Wohnuiig ist in der Welt, er ist gegenwartig an alien er Bie. Wir opferu ihm den Orten, wo Menechen nnd Tenfel zu finden sind.

deshalb in und auaser seinen Pagoden, dass nicht etwa die Teufel sich

Damit er nun alle Arten zu uns nahen mochten und uns besitzen. Teufel von uns abhalte und von ibrer Jtacht una beaohutze, auch alles Bose abwende, bringen wir ihm allerlei Opfer und Verehrung als Bbuke, Schweine, Hahne, Weiu, gekochteii Reis und dergleichen Ess-und Trink-

waaren mehr.

Nur aus dieaem Grunde

pflegen wir

ihm Opfer zu bringen."

506

ON THE OETGINAL INHABITANTS

and say

who

to

him

:

"

Lord of ghosts^ who

with kindness towards

is filled

long armed; to Thee,

protect,

always pleased,

is

creatures, protect,

all

Sasta, be salutation

and

salutation."2 9i

He

generally requested to grant wealth, to bestow sons,

is

to destroy enemies, to avert drought, to secure the favour of

women,

to destroy the evil

and

lizards,

Under

his

special charge are the boundaries, forests,

tanks and rivers.

he has " '

'

In his duties and outward appearance

much resemblance

nay

to,

really

is

identical

Bhiitaaatha sadanauda sarvabhiitadayripara

raksa raksa maliabilho aastre tnbhyam

Aiyanar

is

called

namo

naniali.

thus epeoially reTered as the god of hunting, and bears in

Kurg the name is

omens caused by

effects or

similar boons,- ^^

of -Bete ^i/yappa, Lord-father of hunting; as Hill-god he

Male Deva.

See Kittel

loco citato, p. 168.

These wishes are expressed in the following prayers or mantras " )m namo bhagavate hariharaputraya putralabhaya, satrunasaya (gaulldosavinasaya) madagajavahanaya niahasasta3'a namah." =

" 2

:

(

Another mantra runs as follows "Asya srimahasastamantrasya Bndra Anustup chandah, Mahasasta devata. ;

raih,

.

Mama

.

.

Harihaiaputrava hrdayaya namali, arthaUbhaya putralabhaya sirase svaha, iatrunasoya sikhayai Tasat, sarrastrlmobaniiya kavacaya hum, madagajaturaiigavahanaya netratrayaya vausat, mahasastaya hum phat svaha astraya phat." viniyogah

sarvabhistasiddhaye

Sadaiigam,

The meaning of this prayer is "Of this mantra of the great the Bsi, Anustup the metre, Mahasasta the devata. ;

is

.

"

Application for securing

all

my

With Hayiharaputraya "namah"

wishes.

.

S.'ista

Rudra

.

Allocation in the ^ix limbs.

to the heart, with

arthalabhdya -putralabhnya "svaha" to the head, with iatrvnaiaya " vasat " to the hair-tuft,

with saiTastrimohanaya jatiirangavnliaiinya

"hum" by

"Ytmsat"

laying the hands across, with madaga-

to the three eyes, with mahasastaya

"hum

phat svaha" with clapping the hands."

Each mantra

which is as a rule some parts of the hands, these locations are respectively called niiganyasa and karanyasa, they are heart, head, hair-tuft, laying hands on the upper arms, three eyes and luind-clapping. The same mantra runs in its abbreviated form as follows " Um aim hrim saum klim srim hrim hrim klim hariharaputraj'a is

divided into

located in a different

limb

of

si.\;

portions, each of

the body,

rarely in

;

arthalabhaya putralabhaya satrunasaya sarvastrimohanaya niadagajatu-

raiigavahanaya mahasastaya namali."

OF BHAEATAVAESA OE INDIA.

607

and the BrahmabhQta/'^ » s ^]jo \[]^q j^ij^ qq horseback pursue the demons sword in hand and do manifold good to men. As protector oi: fields, or Ksetrapala, with, Khaiidoba

Bhairavais mistaken for him, because, in spite of being occasionally styled Ksetrapala, Bhairava's protection is in reality

On

only confined to the temples and their property. other hand, if there

is

we admit

that Siva

to

i.e.,

Vlrabhadra and Bhairava, ^^* who are often

Virabhadra^^^

identified with Aiyanar.

"

the

identical,

no difiiculty in extending this identity to the avata-

ras of Siva,

=

and Aiyandr avo

See above, pp. 157, 298, No.

16, 304.

g^ata as

^g g(;y]g(j

Dr. VVilhelm

Germanu has

edition of Ziegenbalg, pp. 155, 156, already alluded to a connexion

in the

between

Khandoba and Aiyanar. This mantra

'^°*

is

addressed to Aiyanar as Bhairava,

who

ksetrapala and instead of Hariharaputra iioakeiavanandana

is

called

" Ksetrapil-

:

Om namah ksetrai^.^ilasya iipaduddharakasya sivakesavanandanasya paramesvararapasya nilameghasya mahabhairavasya trisSladamarukadharaja saiikhacakradharajra kapalamalasikapaladbaraya sakinilamantrah.

dakiuibhiitaprotapisacaparayantraparaniantraksasagandharvasvapacara-

krSragrahatatakeya karkotakakesavandrikabhaya kumaramustakhalvan-

gadharasya

mama

sarrasatrusaiiiharaaasya

hram hrim hriim hraim

hrauni,

hram pi hum phat svaha." The following stanza

is

addressed to Kalabhairava

Kapalamalikakantani

j

valatpavakalocanam

kapaladharam atyugram kalayf Kalabhairavam. Eight forms of Bhaix'ava are mentioned, or rudra-, kala-, kapiila- or

tamracada

,

viz., asitai')t;a-,

caudracilda-

krodha., maha-, ruru-, samhara-

bhairava.

In

his eighth

form as

Krodhabhairava he

became the

ksetrapiila

Aiyanar

Krodhenanena

vai

balal.i

ksetranam raksako'bhavat

miirtayo'stau ca tasyapi ksetrapalasya dhimatah. ' ^ ^ The stanzas referring to Aiyanar or Sasta in his Sattvika, rajasa and tamasa condition are as follows. In the .Sattvika condition he is called Virabhadra

1.

Somkaram devamiilam jitaripubahalam syamalam Virabhadram Khatkaram vyomakesam ghanighaniiiinadam khadgakhetagrahastam Kuiikarani bhirnnadam hutavahanayanani dahyamanakhilamsani Phatkilram vajradathstram pranataripiijanapranahantSram ide.

508

ON THE ORIGINAL INHABITANTS

possessing the quality of goodness or of sattva, while Bhai-

rava

distinctly designated as the son of Siva

is

When

and Visnu.

Virabhadra and Bhairava, Aiyanar

identified with

appears in his dark or angry nature^ corresponding to the daric

element

in

Siva's character.

Aiyanar occupies

his

proper position as K&etrapala, in so far as the Gramadevata also a Ksetradevata.

is

priesthood, in its

own

It

interests,

the ancient non-Aryan gods

and the best means

was natural for the Brahmanic

still

to destroy

the

influence

exercised over the masses,

to effect this

purpose was to heap

disgrace on those deities, and to vilify them in the eyes of the faithful.

With

this object in view,

they invented a

disgusting account of the incestuous origin of Aiyanar.

There lived once

in ancient times a

demon Bhasmasura,

who by

his fervent penance had gained the favor of Isvara and obtained from him the boon that whatever he might touch with his hand shouldbe turned to ashes. On receiving

demon tried to test it on Siva himself, who running away hid himself in a flower which was

this power, the

growing

in a

tank, and thence prayed to Visiiu to rescue

On

this

Visnu appeared before Bhasmasura in the form

him.

of Mohini, a

beautiful, enticing

mind to such a degree, that over his senses.

At

woman, and inflamed

his

in his passion he lost all control

last the virgin

consented to submit to

would previously bathe himself in the water of the neighbouring pond and then clean and rub oil with his hand on his head. Bhasmasura in his infatuation did so, and was reduced to ashes as soon as his hand touched him,

2.

3.

if

the giant

Santam saradaoandrakhaudadhavalam caudrabhiramananam candrarkopalakantakuudaladharam candravadatamsukain vlnipustakam aksasiitravalayam Tyakhyanamndram karair bibhranam kalaye sada brdi mahasastam suvaksiddliaye. Tejomandalamadhyagam trinayanam divyambaralankrfcani

devam pnspasareksukarmukalasaQmaiiikyapatrabliayan madagajaskandhadhiriulham raahasastaram sarapam bhajami varadam trailokyasammohanam. bibhi-.iuam karapaiikajaii-

509

OP BHARATAVAESA OE INDIA. head.

liis

Immediately afterwards Siva became acquainted

with the destruction of his pursuer, left his hiding place in the flower, and requested Visnu,

happened,

to

who

told

him what had

assume again the body of Mohini.

Visnu did

so, and found himself a prey to the uncontrollable passion of Siva. The result of this incestuous connexion between Hari and Hara, was, so say the Brahmans, Aiyanar, who is therefore also called the son of Hari and Hara, or Hariharaputra. The pedantic Pandits of the Tamil country go so

far as to contend that the real

name

Aiyanar was Kai-

of

yanar, he haying been bora in the kai, or hand of Visnu.

The image of Aiyanar

is

generally found at the junction of

two' roads, as according to popular belief he wants to learn

from way-farers about the peculiar position in which he stands in regard to his mother for Visnu being a male ;

deity cannot be called his mother, nor can ParvatI be his

mother, as she did not give him birth.

The name Harihara occurs frequently

in the

modern

dynasty of the Vijayanagara kings, who attempted to unite to a certain extent Vaisiiaviam with Saivism,but this circum-

stance

is

enquiry.

in no

way connected with

The existence

of the ancient

of

Aiyanar

Gauda-Dravidian

is

the subject of this

an intrinsic portion

belief,

and long antece-

dent to the Brahmanic story of his alleged origin.

names

Though

Aiyanar and Sasta do not occur in all parts of India he is, as Lord of the Ghosts, revered by the non- Aryan aborigines under one designation or another all the

of

over the country.

In the northern portion of the Madras

Presidency, especially ship appears to be

name

among

merged

the Telugu people, his wor-

into that of Vehkatesa,

indicates a connexion with the

Vehka

or

whose Vehkata

and which must not be explained, as proposed by some Paijdits, to signify veh katayati, he purifies sin. There is hardly a village in the south of Southern India which does not possess one temple dedicated to Aiyanar,

tribe,

ON THE ORIGINAL INHABITANTS

•llO

Most

of these shrines are of small dimensions

and stand

a lonely place to the west of the village surrounded by trees.

The

prettiest spots are generally

of such shrines

among shady

ti'ees

in

lofty-

chosen for the

sites

near a flowing brook.

In woods and forests a stone alone indicates at times the

abode

Aiyanar, and from such stones sounds are said to

of

and to scare the neighbourhood. Clay figures and small size representing horses, elephants,

arise

— of large

—

buffaloes,

dogs and other animals or objects are arranged in rows

under the shade devotees,

of

trees, representing the gifts

who when they

or their families were

vowed The promises made

of pious

or in dis-

ill

tressed circumstances,

to

dedicate such offering's to

Aiyanar.

to

him

are various

and

occa-

sionally rather peculiar.

In times

of

drought the villagers assemble and raise a

subscription for a service in honour of Aiyanar. collected

Bice

is

from every house, and on a Wednesday orders are

issued to the potters to make life-size horses, occasionally also

horses with riders on their back, or life-size

AVhen the potter has prepared lagers go in procession with

all

armed

soldiers.

these figures, the

drums beating

to the

vil-

house of

the potter, and carry those figures to the temple of Aij^anar,

which

is

generally two miles distant from the village, near

the boundary stone.

matron carries

A

richly decorated

and well-attired

in front of the procession a vessel

sweet toddy on her

head.

This

procession

is

full of

called in

Tamil Puri ndiqipu, and the vessel Maduhkudam. PQjaris are generally potters.

The

Offerings of food, fruits, &c.,

are then made, and the worshippers take their

midday The people have great conbe gracious, and grant thew their

meals, irrespective of caste. fidence that Aiyanar will

wish, which also often happens.

In some parts of the country,

when a child is make a vow,

with a dangerous disease, the parents

stricken to carry

OF BHAEATAVAESA OE INDIA. it

in procession

T^H

round the village suspended from a hook

which

is

Sidi,

and Aiyanar goes

fixed in his back.

This hook

Kanarese consequence by the name of

ia

called in

is

Sidiviran,

At the gates

of these temples stand two gigantic guarMunnadiyar, of formidable and hideous shape they wear crowns on their heads and carry stout sticks in their dians,

:

hands. They resemble devils in their appearance, and have

The front portion

lion-fangs projecting from their mouthsof the temple is occupied

worshipped.'inside,

^

'^

by the seven mothers, who

Two images

of

also

ai'e

Vighnesvara generally stand

one on each side of the door.

In the inner hall

sits

Aiyanar between his two Avives, Purna, and Pushala, in Tamil called Puranai and Putkalai,^ ^ ^ and round them stand in the

Saturdays, blight. 2

who are Wednesdays and

corridor the seven virgins or Kannhnar,

worshipped,

occasionally

3

when the crops on dry lands

are suffering from

In another building at the side of the temple

'^

in a sort of vault

elephants,

especially on

birds,

Aiyanar and

are kept the

wooden images

of horses,

demons and other creatures on which

his wives are

carried about in procession on

festival days.

When

not riding, Aiyanar

is

generally represented in a

sitting posture as a red-skinned

man.

On

his

head he

wears a crown on his forehead are painted the three white lines of the Yibhuti in his tuft-like locks hang strings of ;

;

2 9° Ziegenbalg givea on p. 150 their names as Trikarasiiri, Miiyakarasijri, Raktacamuada, Vanaoarial (Katteri), Bhagavati, Balasakti, and Bhuva-

nasakti. 2 °

'

In this mantra occur the names of the two wivea of Aiyanar Eko. mantrah. PiirnapuskalambSsametasrlhariharaput:

nacatvarim sadaksaro

raya namah.

2" Seep.

106,

Note

100.

The

villagers join

on such occasions in a

Picnic Samaradhanai, anoint the Kannimar, a woman possessed with

begins to dance, and animals are sacrificed.

66

them

ON THE ORIGINAL INHABITANTS

512 pearls,

which adorn

also his ears

and his neck ; and on his Ornaments also cover

chest he wears a sort of decoration. his arms, hands, feet

VaJnippattai, encircles his waist

girdle,

body

is

his waist.

As an emblem

A

dignity he carries a sceptre in his hand.

of his royal

flowers

and even

and

his left leg

hang from his shoulders; the upper part of naked while a gay-coloured garment surrounds

his

;

his

lower extremities.

Two

or three times a

Aiyanar.

day are

sacrifices

These take the foi^m either of

presented to

libations, or of offer-

ings of food, or of burnt sacrifices, and are accompanied

by

special prayers

and ceremonies.

Gifts

consisting of

spirituous liquor, or of animals, such as pigs, goats, cocks

and other creatures, are also presented to Aiyanar, such animals being beheaded on the altar outside his temple. These bloody and spirituous offerings are made by Sudra priests or Pandarams without the participation of Brahmans who, however, perform the bloodless and purer fact, as previously

In

ritual.

mentioned, two sides, a bright and a dai'k

one, are distinguishable in the worship of Aiyanar.

Besides these daily services a special festival in honor of Aiyanar

is

held once a year in every village.

which has no fixed

date, falls

This feast,

mostly either after the

first

second harvest, and lasts from seven to nine days.

or

The

Aiyanar and his two wives both in the morning and in the evening.

villagers carry the figures of

through the

streets,

Every inhabitant is bound to contribute towards the expenses according to his means, and to offer to Aij'anar special sncrifices in the

shape of cooked

rice, eatables, drink, or Ai3'anHr and his wives are then praised for the protection and assistance they have granted during the

animals.

past year, and the continuation of his favour for the ensuing year.

Aiyanar

is

known by

is

requested

various names such as the warrior of

613

BHAKATAVAKSA OK INDIA.

01'

a sacred crown, Tirumudisevahar ; the good warrior, Nal-

god who lives outside the village, Puxattavan ; the beautiful sea-coloured, Puhhadalvannan ; the Lord, Saltan; the husband of Puranai, PiM'awaite/wn; the huslasevakarj the

band

Putkalaimanalan

of Putkalai,

stainless,

Orumasattdn

;

;

the ascetic, Yogi; the

one who has a fierce weapon,

Candayudhan ; the venerable, Ariyan virtue,

ArattaikJcappon

;

the rider

Vellaiyanaiyurti ; the youth,

;

the protector

on a white elephant,

Kumaran; the

father (master),

Aiyan; the son of Harihara, Hariharaputtiran a fowl in his

flag,

The two wives

Kulikkodiyon

;

of

;

he who has

etc.^^^

Puranai and Putkalai, have yellow complexions. They wear crowns on their heads, in one hand they hold a flower, while the other hangs

down empty.

of Aiyanar,

Besides this they have the usual ornaments.

Puranai wears on her forehead the black Kasturi-ma,v]i, while Putkalai

is

distinguished by the Vibhuti, the three

holy white streaks [Tiruniru in Tamil). leg,

Puranai on the

left,

They

sit

on one

and Putkalai on the right side of

her husband, in whose duties and honors they participate.

With

these remarks I finish this brief discussion on the

and Aiyanilr, a subject which attract more attention than it has

position of the G-ramadevatas is

important enough to

done hitherto, for these

divinities represent the national

non-Aryan population. Their worship has indeed been preserved, but it has been altered considerably owing to foreign influence, though not for the better. deities of the

On Bhutas,

or Fiends, Ghosts,

and

Devils.

Demoniac beings or Bhiltas,—he they Fiends, Ghosts or Devils, whether created as such from the beginning or at a subsequent period, and whether or not the restless spirits »»"

Compare

Ziegenbalg, p, 152,

514

ON THE ORIGINAL INHABITANTS

of the deceased^

—frighten the minds and threaten the

of mortals in this world.

They

lives

exercise their baneful influ-

ence not only over rude barbai'ians, or credulous masses,

Their exist-

but also over individuals otherwise sensible. ence the

genei'ally asserted,

is

wiles

of

subtle

priestcraft.

The various

religious

and philosophical systems, though agreeing on some

beliefs

vague points, have istic

and their power supported by

all

their

special

dogmas

or character-

There are

opinions on matters spiritual and demoniac.

men who believe

that they are in possession of the key which

opens the door to the mysteries beyond useless to systematize topics

human

which appertain

ken, but

and in which imagination occupies the place of

The inventive genius

of

it is

to speculation, reality.

the Hindus has peopled

the

world with variously formed and differently endowed crea-

who

tures,

derive their origin from divine sources.

In the

Amarakosa, the well-known Sanskrit vocabulary, are enumerated as such the Vidyadharas, Apsarases, Yaksas, Eaksases, Gandharvas, Kinnaras, Pisacas, Guhyakas, Sid-

dhas and BhQtas.^ ° "

Excepting the Eaksases, Pisacas and

Bhutas, an inclination towards good all

these,

of

is

found prevailing in

but in some Bhutas there

an equal

is

dis-

position towards good as towards evil, while the majority of Raksases are decidedly bad, ^o" See Aiiiaralwia,!,

1, 1,6; VidyadLuio' iwaiu-Yaksa-Kakao-Gandljurva-Kiuuiiral.i J'isScu Guhyakalj Siddho Bhutu'mi dcyayouaviil.i.

Compare

also Vaijuyantl,

YaksadyadLjSya,

1

—j

.

1.

Sparsanaudastvapsarasas sumadaioa ratemadjii svarvesyasoatlia khasC-yo yakso'tha siii-agayanah

2.

Gandharvo gatugrmdharvau

3.

btutaputras tn bhutani bhutasca sivaparsyagah Kinnaras syuh kimpurusa mayaTo'sTamnkliasca te

4.

guliyaka manioarayas tatha devajanas sutalj Vidyadharas tu dyucarah khecariis satyayauvaiiali

;

siddliSs syus sanakadayali ;

pisacas syat kapiseyo'nrjur darvaica piudakah ,5.

Devayonaya

;

etc syns avarvesyadyas saraksasah.

OP BHAEATAVAESA OE INDIA.

have adopted the Sanskrit term Ehiita (being), as an

I

expression that applies to in

this

all,

515

chapter, as

though

this

all

the different beings discussed

term

indeed

is

applicable to

Southern India only

in certain districts of

it is

used in relation to a particular species of demons.

For the

sake of classification, I propose to divide these BhQtas into

Those who compose the

three groups.

group, I

first

They are endowed with superhuman powers, and

Fiends.

possess material bodies of various kinds, which

change as they

As

tion. evil,

call

list,

and which are subject

free agents, they can choose

but a disposition towards

character, as the examples of

evil

to

they can destruc-

between good and

preponderates in their

Ravana and Hiranyakasipu,

and the exceptions of Vibhisana and Prahlada sufficiently prove.

The

either of the hostile

human into

foes,

Danavas,

Asuras,

so-called

Raksasas belong to this group.

Daityas

and

All these are personations

powers

nature,

of

or of

mighty

both which have been eventually converted

superhuman beings.

The second group

consists of

the Ghostn of those

who

once moved as living creatures in this world, but who, after

having departed their mundane until they are united with the

life,

roam

Supreme

restlessly about,

Spirit,

Final Beatitude by complete absorption into

The third group

consists of the Devils or

and obtain

it.

Demons, who

persecute, seduce and destroy mankind. These Demons are often divided into two classes, consisting of ruling and

ministering spirits,

who

are specially

known

as Pisacas

and

Bhtltas.

The main object

of this inquiry

is to

ascertain,

if

possible,

the ethnological origin of these groups, and of the several

members which

constitute them.

When

this

object has

been achieved, and the difference between Aryan and nonAryan demonology has been successfully defined,, the later

516

ON THE OiaUlNAL INHABiTAiJTS

development of both can be more easily uuderstoodj and the modifications^ which the beliefs of both races under-

went, can be traced Avith greater exactness. sible;

It is not pos-

however, at this stage of our knowledge to arrive at a

final decision

achieved

is,

on

and

this subject,

to collect as

all

that can meanwhile be

much evidence

as possible

and

to

arrange the material in a lucid and at the same time accurate manner.

A. About Fiends.

Man-eating ogres and ogresses, formidable giants, treachmischievous sprites, wicked elves et hoc

erous gnomes,

umne genus, who delight

In Sanskrit literature they appear especially

called fiendsas

and destroying men, are

iu teasing

To

Danavas, Daityas, Eaksasas and Asuras.

this class

may be added the evil sorcerers and wizards, known in the Veda as Ydtus, YdtudhUnas and YdtudhCnils, with As I have whom may be coupled the vile Kimidins.^'-' i

already observed, natural

some substantial

phenomena or

supplied

basis,

by

events, underlies the assumption of

In the Rgveda we encounter Danu and Kasyapa as Uaityas

the existence of these beings. as Danavas, or sons of

them

;

or sons of Diti and Kasyapa, in contrast to the divine Adityas, the sons of Diti's sister Aditi

as Dasas or Dasyus, the

The

who

majd ahmum.

by

all

and

is

the gods,

steals the

him with "1

3

us

foes of the

as Asuras and Aryan invaders.

whom

there are seven,

;

called the ancestor of the dragons, pratha-

He

opposes suffering mankind, and

whom

he openly

heavenly waters,

coming doAvn as

=

human

Kasyapa

of

principal of the Danavas, of

Vrtra,

IS

and

rain,

and

defies.

i.e.,

feared

Indra destroys

Vala, cave (in which the

Compare Rn-dda,l, 35, 10 VII, 1, 5, etc., and Vll, II, 11, 18 X, 120, 6. See RgvMa, I, 32, 3, -1, i

;

is

keeps back

he prevents them from

for this offence

his thunderbolt.^"^

He

;

104, 2

j

X, 87,24.

517

OF BHARATAVABSA OR INDIA.

rain-cows are confined),

is

name

the

another demon,

of

works called the brother of Vrtra.^O'^ who Besides these are mentioned in the Rgveda the Danava Aurnavahha, the handless Kunara who was crushed by Indra ; Kuyava who causes bad harvests and whose two young wives (yosi) bathe in milk and ought to be drowned; in

is

later

the blaspheming Kuyavuk; the killed;

Eauhina

tore into pieces

by Indra

;

demon Jaridha whom Agni and whom Indra

ffho ascended into heaven

Budhikra who was likewise destroyed who was vanquished by Mann and

;

Visisipra

others."^''

Anarsani, Namuci, Pipru, Sambara, Srbinda, Susna, and

who

the Dasa Vrsasipra,

practised the magic arts and

by Indra, are probably prototypes

slain

was

non-Aryan

of

foes.3o=5

A

female fiend Arayl

She

Veda.

She

kills

is

the foetus in the

It is needless to

much

is

also frequently

mentioned in the

described as ugly, one-eyed and hipped.

womb and

hates Indra. ^"'^

remark that the Athaiwanaveda contains about these fiends, and the means

fuller information

of rendering harmless their diabolical machinations

try to inflict injury (druh), ov hurt (raksas). personified,

and

Indra,

moves in darkness, gets hold finds its slayer

and the sacrifice.^'"' Raksas it that is bad and objectionable ;

is

Driih,-when

of the villain, hates

who

in Brhaspati,

truth

by the

Demons insidiously

use of efficacious charms and mantras.

preserves

connected with

all

impure, pernicious

is

^°' See ahove, p. 15, Note 11.

"* 104, 3

See Bgoeda, ;

I,

174, 7i

I,

18

II, 11,

103,

8,

;

VIII, 33, 26, 66, 2

104, 3

;

VII,

1,

7

;

;

III, 30, 8

II, 12,

12

;

;

I,

103, 8; I,

II, 14, 5

;

and V,

45, 6. 3

I,

0= See

103, 8 =

»°

;

RgvUa, VIII,

and VII,

32, 2

;

II, 14,

5

;

1,51,5; VII,

99, 5

;

I,

33, 12

;

99, 4.

See Rejveda, X, 155.

3°' See Roveda,

I,

133, 1

;

II, 30,

9; III, 31, 19; IV, 23,

pare Ver Rirjveda von AlfrccT Lndwig,

III, pp. 338, 339,

7, etc.

Com-

ON THE

•")18

and base. ^"'^

Both engencler misohief, and gods

men must

as

INHABITANTS

OUICilNAT,

fight against

druh and rahsas in order to de-

Asuras and Raksasas are eventually regarded as

stroy them,

beings

who particularly

nature

is

practise druli

so undefined, that

and

raJtsas,

no difference

is

made between

does theirs vary, and they are, accord-

l)oi]igs varies, so also

ing to their pleasaro,

hostile

or

friendly,

Ctceupying a position

and men, the

fiends possess like

quate to their condition, bodies which ethereal elements of the deities

Among

beings.

malevolent or

midway between gods both of them bodies ade-

benevolent.

human

and whose

Indeed just as the character of human

them and men.

of

as well

and

partake of the

of the earthly

elements

themselves the fiends differ in

them possessing the power to assume whatever form they desire. Like gods and men they share in the three qualities, and like men they are and shape, some

size

of

also subject to the laws of transmigration,

The term the

Rgveda

Asjtra,

other gods

Maruts.3

from

a.-^ii,

life (root as, to live),

applies in

principally to Varuna, Indra, Agni, bat also to

Rudra,

as Pa>au,

0^

Savitr,

In the tenth Maudala

it is,

Soma and

used in the sense of impious demon, and as such, plied to Piprn."

1

"

When the Vedic

the

however, already e.g.,

ap-

gods were in course

time thoroughly displaced, a fixed distinction was

made

of

be-

tween Gods and Asuras, and a separate creation assigned to Gods being created by the mouth, and the Asuras by the lower breath of Prajapati.^ i The Visnupurana reboth, the

'

lates that

Brahman created the Asuras while he was pervad-

ed with darkness, and that they, his firstborn, proceeded

When

from his thigh. 30S

See E.jveda,

^o"

Compare

alove, p. 275.

3>»

Compare

E'lvccla,

"1

See ahove,

I,

12, 5

p. 281.

X,

;

the darkness which developed into

VI,

If..

1.3S, 3.

29, etc

519

OP BHAKATAVAKSA OE INDIA.

night had deserted him, he became pleased, and from his

mouth issued the Gods, endowed with goodness. In consequence of these facts, the A suras prevail at night aud the Gods during daytime.^ i^

In the account of the crea-

tion contaiaed in the Manavadharmasastra, the Asuras sink to a lower depth, for they

were created by seven Manus,

the offspring of the ten

together with

Prajapatis,

the

Yaksas, Raksases, Pisacas, Gandharvas, Apsarases, Nagas, Serpents, winged Birds and Pitrs, after the Gods and the

Maharsis or great sages. ^

'

^

The Asuras, Danavas and Daityas and their thrust the Gods from their thrones, which the Titans made to defeat the

tinual fight with the Devas,

are engaged in con-

repeated attempts to

resemble the

Gods, however, did not always employ victory, but

had recourse

mean

to

efforts

Olympians."*'' fair

tricks.

means

At

to

The

ensure

the churning

Devas required the assistance of the Daiand in order to obtain it, promised them an equal share the Nectar or Amrta which would be produced froru the

of the ocean, the tyas,

of

agitated sea. The serpent Vasuki was wound like a cord round the mountain Mandara, the Gods headed by Krsna being stationed at the tail, the Daityas and Danavas at the '12 See VisnupurSna, 29.

I, 5,

28—32

:

Tnktatmanas tamomatra udriktabhiit prajapateh sisrksor jaghanat piirvam aeura jajnire tatali.

36.

Sisrksui-

anyadehasthah

pritira

apa tatas surah

mukhato brahmanodvija. tanue tena Battvaprayam abhud dinam

sattvodriktali samudbliiita 32.

Tyakta sapi

tato hi balino ratravasura devata diva. = 1 '

2

1*

and

See ManavadharmaSSstra, I, 37 Yaksaraksahpisaoamsca gandharvapsaraso' anran nagan sarpan supariiamsoa pitfijam oa prthag ganan. :

In the AmarakoSa, I, 1, 1, 7, the Asuras are styled Asura Daitya-Daiteya-Danuiendrari-Danavah Sukrasisya Ditisutah Pflrvadevah Suradvisah in the Vaijayanti,

YaksSdyadhyaya,

:

;

p. 15, lines 18,

19

:

Asura Danava Daitya Daiteya Devasatravah, Purvadevas Sukrasisya Rasageha Haridvisah.

67

ON THE OEIGINAL INHABITANTS

520

Tho

head.

consequence were

lattei- in

stifled

by

tlie fierj'

fumes emitted from tlie mouth of the serpent, while the Gods were refreshed by the pleasant showers descending from the clouds. When Dhanvantari appeared with the Amrta cup inhis hands, the Daityas tried to snatch

it

from him, but

Visnu as.-^nming the shape of a beautiful woman, fascinated them and securedthe Amrta for the Gods. Theydrank it, and through this invigorating draught they were enabled to the onslaught of the enraged Daityas and to hurl them to Patala.'' ' As the Daityas had refused the Sura or Varuiu, {.p., the goddess of wine, while the Gods had resist

'

accepted her, the latter, so goes this version, were styled Svrax, and the former Asuras.

The number and the

of the

stories about

wonderful

in

Asuras

continually increasing,

is

them become more complicated and

course of time.

It

indeed not

is

perceive that a foreign element, a love of marvels

has joined the Aryan stock,

difficult to

and terrors,

and that these miraculous

legends are the product of combined Aryan and non- Aryan conceptions.

The simple

given place to

elaborate

Vedic period have

stories of the

manifesting the

descriptions,

change which has come over the religious and ethnological constitution of the population. fact, I

As a

plain example of this

quote only the remarkable accounts about Asuras,

which are contained in the Asurakaiida, khai.ida, a

puraua.

of the Sivarahasya-

portion of the Saiikarasariihita of the Skanda-

One such

story will,

believe,

I

suffice to

prove

this assertion.

The Mahai'si Kahja.fa became through father of sixty -four crores of Daityas, of the

Gods or Adityas, the sons

of

his wife Diti, the

the natural enemies

Kasyapa and

Aditi.

Asurendra was the chief of these Daityas, who married 3

10

Spp Vifnuptirnna,

1, 9,

80—109.

Oi?

Mangalakesl.

bHAKATAVAESA OR INDIA.

Their daughter iSurasU was

Siikracarya, the instructor of the Daityas. herself in

all

educated by

As

she proved a very apt pupil and became thoroughly versed the arts and sciences which he taught, he con-

ferred on her, as an honour, the to

521

make use

name Maya and

of her to further his designs

resolved

which aimed at

the restoration of the waning power of the Asuras.

order to gain this object, he induced

Maya

to

In

approach

Kasyapa and to obtain from him offspring, able to fight and subdue the Gods. Won over to his plans she repaired to the banks of the Ganges, where by her incantations she

created a most beautiful pleasure garden near the place where Kasyapa was undergoing his penance, and as soon as he opened his eyes, he beheld her and fell in love with her.

But she did not intend

to

Therefore, after informing disturbed, as she

yield so

him

easily

Kasyapa.

to

that she did not

want

had come hither from Mount Meru

sake of her penance, she

Kasyapa in his excitement

disappeared fell

assume whatever form she pleased.

[jadmdswa was the

if

be

for the

suddenly, that

so

Maya

into a swoon.

consented to remain with Kasyapa,

to

at last

he would agree to

This he did, and 8ura-

result of her first connection in the first

Ydma, besides 30,000 Daityas who were produced from her perspiration.

Tdraka,

The

who had

child of the second

was Simhavaktra, or

1,000 faces and 2,000 arms, and

when both had assumed

the shape of lions.

was born

Together with

The third time, was born with another 40,000 Daityas, and at last in sheep form was born the female Demon Ajdmuhhi. After changing their forms SimhavaJctmsura appeared 40,000 Daityas.

both becoming

for

elephants,

Gajamukha

some time longer into tigers, cows, pigs,

etc.,

and produc-

ing various other Asuras and two hundred thousand Daityas, they re-assumed again their original shape.

When

Sorapad-

masura consulted Kasyapa as to what he should do, the father of the Gods advised him to obtain through severe penance

ON THE OEIQINAL INHABITANTS

522

the favor of Sambhu.

At the suggestion

performed Vlrayaga with his brothers wealth and power

to acquire

them

all

made

that she

;

at

of his

mother he

Vatadvipa, in order

while she also imparted to

They then

had learnt from Sukracarya.

a sacrifice which lasted for 10,000 years, on a piece of

ground meassuring 10,000 yojanas. Surapadma sacrificed at the chief pit which extended over 1,000 yojanas, while Siihhavaktra offered oblations at the 108 surrounding pits

but

;

was not graciously accepted by the deity, until Surapadma cut his own body into pieces and threw them Surapadma then conquered the whole world, into the fire. Xot content with his all the gods included, except Siva. this sacrifice

victory, he maltreated the

gods in such a shameful manner

that they could no longer bear the indignities

them, and applied to Siva for redress.^

As Mahesvara thought

that the

'

heaped upon

''

Gods had been

sufficiently

punished for their previous misbehaviour, because SOrapad-

masura had with

them

for a

Siva's consent subjected

Sanmukha or Subrahmanya to take Asuras. The cause of Siva's grudge *'"

and tormented

hundred and eight yugas, he permitted his son

The creation

of the nine

the field against the

against the Gods was

Kanyas from the nine gems

of Parvati's

For when the Gods rushed in deconnected with this incident spair into Siva's room, he was seated there with Parvatf, and when, scared she got up in hasto, nine gems fell ont from her anklet. (Jn looking at ;i,nklet is

them, Siva saw

tliat

they refieeted her own image, and this so fascinated

him that he caused the gems

to appi'oacli him,

which they did in the form

This proceeding, however, aroused the jealousy of invoked a curse on them that they Hhonld remain garhhiui,

of beautiful ladies.

Parvati, i.e.,

who

pref;nant, without bringing forth children.

In their agitation brought

on by this curse, the nine Kanyas produced through their perspiration innumerable Gaiias. At last Parvati took pity on their miserable con dition, removed the curse, and they were delivered of nine heroes. The names of these nine Kanyiis and their nine sons were respectively 1. Ratnavalli and Viruljahu, 2. Taralavalli and Virakesarin, 3. Pausivalli and Viramahendra, 4. Gomedhavalli and ViramaUesvara, 5. Vaid uryavalli :

and

Virapurandara,

Viramartauila,

8.

6.

Vajravalli and Viraraksasa,

Pravalavalli and Virantaka,

9.

7.

JIarakatavalli and

Nilavalli

and Viradhira,

OP BHAEATAVAKSA OB INDIA. that they

had attended the

all

sacrifice of

523

Daksa^ to which

he had not been invited, and he revenged himself on the

by creating for their subjugation these numberless

G-ods,

Asuras and Daityas.

The boon which Surapadmasura had

obtained was, that he should not be conquered by any existing creature or god, nay not even by Siva himself, is called,

or, as

he

by the five-faced or Fancamukha. As Siva could not

break his promise, he created Subrahmaijya or Sanmuhha, the six-faced, and thus accomplished the

destruction

of

word to Siiiihamukhasura. At the request of Siva, Brahman created as many BhQtas as could be accommodated within 1,000 yojanas. With these myriads of troops, who were joined by the

the

Asuras

without

breaking his

330 millions of Gods and 100,000 heroes, Subrahmaiiya

was able

number

to destroy the Asuras.

of warriors

who

To give an idea

followed Subrahmajjya,

it

of the is

said

seven seas were dried up by their marching aud

that the

'

and the moon were covered with dust. ^ The campaign of Subrahmanya put a final stop to the

that the sun

power

of the Daityas-

Together

with the Asuras are generally mentioned the

They are described as cruel, deceitful, meneating ogres, who roam about at nights and use witchcraft to deceive their opponents and to obtain their object. ^ Raksasas.

'

"

'"

God of the seaa complained to Subrahmanya about but the manner in which the latter redressed this wellfounded chai-ge does not bear repeating. 2

It is said that the

this hardship,

=

18

See Amarakoia, 55.

I, 1, 1,

55, 56

.

Eaksasah kaunapah kravyat kravyado'srapa asarah ratrincaro ratricarah karburo nikasatmajah

56. Yatndhanah puayajano nairrto yatnraksasi and VaijayanU, Lokapaladhyaya, p. 12, si. 40, 41. alalohitah 40. Atha raksariasi yatiiui raksasa .

ratriiioara ratricarah kravyatkravyadauairrtah, 41.

Kaikaseya yatndhanah purusadah pravahikah anusa ridhura raktagrahas saikava asarah.

ON THE ORIGINAL INHABITAH'1'8

524 liavaua, son

Visravas and grandson of Bralimau,

of

regarded as the chief representative of the Raksasas. the powerful foe

Ramayana defeat.

contains

He

was

for his

Dasaratha,

of

He

of his greatness

a full account

is

and the and

the Brahmans, as he

is

and though some Hindus

foes, the Jains,

have originally been a Brahman, who inic[uity cursed so as to be reborn a Rak,sasa, he

Ravana

may with

Rama, son

much abhorred by

as

is

esteemed by their declare

of

is

to

greater probability be regarded as the real repre-

bentative of the original inhabitants of this country. ^

"^^

The Vayupuraua regards them as descendants of Raksas, son of Kasyapa and Khasa. The meaning of tlie wo id Raksas which has above been given as uas derived from the word

Ji

urt, is

rnliS,

elsewhere in the Pura-

to })rotect.

According

to

the \'isnupuraiia, the Raksasas, tormented at their creation

by excruciating hunger, appealed to Brahman to preserve them from starvation, ^ while the Bhagavatapurana contends that the Raksasas deranged by hunger, attacked '"^

together with the Yaksas nightlike body,

and

•*

Brahman who had assumed a out to them

that the Creator cried

not to eat, but to protect him.^^

The dwelling places

of

^

the Danavas, IJaityas,

Yaksas,

Nilgas and similar beings are the seven regions of Patala, or

lower world,

known

as Atala, \itala, Nitala, Gabhastimat,

>" See ahdve pp. S7— 89, 136— 13S, 184,, 18o, '-" See p. .517 Visnupiirnnii, I, 5, lU

=

40-

502.

Ksutksriiiirmandhakare' tha so' srjad bluigavarastatah viriipah limasi-ula jatas

''''

376-378,

:

;

to'

bbyadliavanta tam pvabhiini.

H.

iMaivaui bliy raksyatatn rsa yair

19.

jagfhur Taksaraksarnai rat rim kstittrlsamuclbliaTam, KsutU-dbhyain upasistris tr tain iagdhximabhidudruruli

uktam rak-^asas ta te. Hee Blicigacdlapiirdna, 111,20,18—20: 18. Visasarjafcraanah kayani nribhyanandarastamoniayaui

jaksadhTam ityiiciilj ksuttrtjarditah. Dcvas tan aha saiiivigno niu m;lm jnksata raksata alio iiip yaksarak^inisi praja yilyam babhilvitha.

mfi raksatainam 211,

OF BHAEATAVAUSA OR INDIA.

525

Mahatalaj Sutala and Patala according to the Visiiupurana.

by no means a doleful abode. The sage Narada from it^that it was far more pleasant than the heaven of Indra. It is richly adorned with beauti-

Tlie Patala

is

declared after returning

ful

woodsj streams and lakes covered with lotus.

dious songs of birds resound in the

The melo-

mingled with the strains of musical instruments^ fragrant perfumes pervade the

air,

which

is

air,

lighted but not heated in the day by the rays

moon imparts light without coldness during the night. The beautiful daughters of the Danavas and Daityas who reside in splendid palaces, enliven

of the sun, while the

these worlds,

whose

soil

is

red, yellow, gravelly, stony

respectively

and golden.822

^^^

The names of these seven worlds Note 19. Compare Tisnupiirana, II, 5, 1

white, jf

:

Vistara esa kathitah prthivya bhavato

mayS

saptatis tu sahasrani dvijocohrayo'pi kathyate. 2.

3.

Dasasahasram ekaikam patalam mun-'sattama Atalam Vltalan caiva Mtalanca Gahhastimat, Mahakbyana .Sutalan cagryam patalaiioapi saptamam suklah krsHarunah pitasarkarah sailakancanab.

-i.

Bhiimayo yatra Maitreya varaprasadasobhitab tean Danavadaiteyajatayah satasanghasab.

5.

Nivasanti mahanagajatayasea

mahamune

svarlokad api ramyani Patalaniti Naradab 6.

Praha svargasadam madhye Patalebhyo gato divam ahladakarinab subhra inanayo yatra snprabhab

7.

8.

9.

10.

take

are Tariously given: see ahnve,

p. 301,

1.

black,

-^^q -j^^q^

Nanabbaranabhnsastu Patalam kena tatsamam Daityadanavakanyabhir itascetaioa sobbite, Patale kasya na pritir Timnktasyapi jayate Divarkarasmayo yatra prabham tanvanti natapani, Sasinasoa na sitaya nisi dyotaya kevalam bhaksyabhojyamabapananinditair atibhogibhih Tatra na jnayate kalo gatopi Danujadibhih

vanani nadyo rarayani sararasi kamalakarab 11. Pnrii skokilanam lapaioa manojiianyambaraai ca bbSsanani oa ramyani gandhadhyau cannlepanam 12. Vmavemumrdanganam nadais tiaryani ca dvija

etanyanyani codarabhagyabhogyani danavaib,

ON THE ORIGINAL INHABITANTS

526 a retrospect of

subject,

tliis

I believe it will

be admitted

and other fiendish demons owe

that the Asuras, Eaksasas

their existence primarily to the imagination of Aryan minds, but that the non- Aryan element of the Indian population

contributed afterwards considerably to the further development and boundless enlargement of the number, activity,

and power

of these fiends.

B. About Ghosts.

Under Ghosts departed.

who even

There if

understand here the spirits

I is

hardly a

he regards

human being

this earthly life as

the

of

in existence,

ending with

death and not followed by an here-after, has not at some time considered what off

his mortal

may become

of

him, after he has shufiled

The ancient Aryans

coil.

delighting in the pleasures of sublunar

of India

though

could not shut

life,

their eyes to the stern necessity of leaving

Birth and

it.

and death's companion man. As everyone must relinquish this life,

death are inseparably connected,

[mrtyuhandhu]

is

one should leave it

it

as late as possible, after having enjoyed

for the longest possible time,

one hundred years.

i.e.,

The hymns

consequence the breaths of

for a period of at least

of the

air in this

Rgveda world

prefer in

to the

features of death and to the uncertain fate of the next

still life.

Death however, cannot be avoided, and the dead must be In the earliest stages of Aryan societj- these disposed of. eventualities had been taken into consideration. Both burying and burning the dead were generally resorted

to,

and a distiuction is made between burnt {agnidagdha), and unburnt [anagnidagdhi; see Rgveda, X, 15, 11, 14), 13.

Daityoragaisoa bhujyante Patalantaragooaraili

patalanam adhas caste Besides other Purai'ias diiiers in the description of 3.

see

visi'ior y.i

tamasl tauah.

Qaniilupurnna,

Patala

I,

57,

Avliose

:

Ki'snS sukiririina pita sarkara sailakaricana

bhiimayas tatra daiteya vasanti ca bhujaiigamali,

third

sloka

527

OP BHAEATAVARSA OR INDIA.

Besides these the Atharvanaveda

or buried Manes.^^s

(XVIII,

34) mentions two other Manes, calling them

2,

paropta and uddhita.^^

In various

*

hymns

Rgveda

of the

find allusions to these ceremonials, as well as lengthy-

we

the proceedings observed on such occa-

descriptions of sions.

Eoth has

Professor von

the

in

tion of the 18th

hymn

quoted

treatise

German

transla-

of the 10th Maiidala of the

Rgveda,

above given with annotations a classical

which describes most probably the burial of a Ksatriya. As it is a very important and significant hymn, I give it in the English translation of Mr. R. T. H. Griffith:S2 1.

5

Death, pursnethy special pathway hence, apart fi-om that which gods are wont to travel. To thee I say it who hast eyes and hearest touch

"Go

;

2.

not our offspring, injure not our heroes. As ye have come effacing Mrityu's footstep, to farther times prolonging your existence. be rich in children and possessions, cleansed,

May ye

puriiied, 3.

and meet for

sacrificing.

Divided from the dead are these, the living is our calling on the gods successful,

We have

come forth

for dancing

:

now

and for laughter,

to farther times prolonging our existence. 4.

Here

I

erect this rampart for the living

of these,

none

;

let

none

other, reach this limit.

May they survive a hundred lengthened autumns, and may they bury Death beneath this mountain. 5.

As the days follow days in close succession, the seasons duly come the seasons,

as with

^^' See Jacob Grimm Ueher das Verhrennen der Leichen, Berl. Acad., 1849; G. Eoth Die Todtenhestattung im indischen Alterthum, in the Zeitschrift der Deutschen Morgenldndischen GeseHsc?iaft, Vol. VIII, 467— 475 Max Miiller Die Todtenhestattung bei den Brahmanen, ibidem Vol. IX, LXXXII Albreoht Weber Sine Legende des fatapatha Brahmaria iiber X ;

—

die

;

strafende Tergeltung

Original Sanskrii

nach

dem

Tents V, 284

ff

;

Tode, ibidem,

pp.

237—243

;

Muir,

and Heinrich Zimmer AUindisches

Leben, pp. 400—422. = 2* See Atharvanaveda, XTIII, 2,34: 34.

sarvamstSn agna 3a:

ye' dagdha ye coddhitah vaha pitfu havise attave. Rigveda translated by Balph T. H. GrifBth,

Ye nikhata ye paropta

See The

Hymns

a

of the

Vol. IV, pp. 137—139.

68

52S

ON THE OKIftlNAL INHABITANTS As

successor fails not his foregoer, so form the

eacli

lives of these, 6.

O

great Ordainer.

Live your full lives and iJnd old age delightful,

you striving one behind the

May Twashtar, maker 7.

^.

9.

10.

of

all

otlier.

of fair things, be gracious,

and lengthen out the days of your existence. Let those unwidowed dames with noble husbands adorn themselves with fragrant balm and unguent. Decked with fair jewels, tearless, free from sorrow, first let the matrons pass into tlieir houses. Rise, come unto the world of life, woman come, he is lifeless by whose side thou liest. Wifehood with this thy husband was thy portion, who took thy hand and wooed thee as a lover. From his dead hand I take the bow he carried, that it may be our power and might and glory, There art thou, there; and here with noble heroes !

may be o'ercome all hosts that fight against us. Betake thee to the lajj of earth the mother, of earth far-spreading, very kind and uracious.

Young dame, wool-soft unto the guerdon-giver, may she preserve thee from destruction's bosom. 11.

Heave

downward him easy access, gently tending him. a mother wraps her skirt about her child,

thyself, earth, nor press thee

heavily Earth, as

:

afford

so cover him. 12.

Xow

the heaving earth be free from motion thousand clods remain above him.

let

let a

to him a home distilling fatness, here them ever be his place of refuge.

Be they

\'.i.

1

:

yea,

let

stay the earth from thee while over thee I place

this piece of earth. May I be free from injury. Here let the fathers keep this pillar firm for thee, and here let Varna make thee an abiding-place. 14.

Tiven as an arro\v's feathers, they have laid

me down

at day's decline.

My

parting speech have

I

drawn back

as 'twere a

courser with the rein."

This lij^mn shows

iis

the relations and friends assembled

round the corpse, with the widow of the group.

The head-man stands

near the lighted survivors.

For

altai-j

this

sitting in the centre at the side of the

and requests Death

dead

to spare the living

purpose he places a

.stone

between

the mourners and the dead, as a frontier-mark between

0¥ BHAEATAVAE8A OK INDIA.

529

the realm of death and the land of the living, and Death,

who

in possession of the dead, is not allowed to overstep that

is

boundary.

Moreover, the hope

the mourners be removed from

is

life

expressed that none of before their time.

married friends of the widow whose husbands are alive,

and who, dressed

any sign of

grief,

When the widow to

in festive garments,

The still

do not show

present their libation to the departed.

has performed the last sad duty she owes

her husband, she

is

asked to sever herself from the dead,

bond between them being dissolved, she leaves After her dead husband and returns to the living.^^^ this the bow is taken from the hand of the corpse, to be preserved for the use of the community. The body is then committed to the earth, and when the grave is closed, the earth is asked to lie softly over the dead and not to press on him. With a prayer that this participation in the burial may not hurt him, the head-man commits the departed to and, the

the

the Pitrs and to the protection of

of

care

Yama

to

secure for him a seat in heaven.

The famous funeral hymn addressed

to

Agni commences

^ in Mr. Griffith's translation as follows t^^ Agi See ibidem, 140:

yacohraddham tatra bhujikte snduhkhitah sampiSrue tu tato varse Sitadhyam iiagaram vrajet. '*' See ihidem, 145 140. Nyiinabdikafloa

:

145.

Trayodasa pratiharalj sravana nama tatra vai Sravanah karmatas tuayantyanyatha krodham apnuyuh.

«*' See ihidura, II, 147.

0,

147:

Damstrakuralavadanam bhriikutidarunakrtim, viriipair bhrsaaair vaktrair \'rtam vyudhisataih

prabhum

daijdasaktamahabahum pasahastam subliairavam. »*2 See ibidem, II, 149.

Ye

6,

149:

ta puuyakrtas tatra tr pasyanti

sanmySlci-tim kuiidalinam

yamam

tada

maulimantam dhrtasriyam

;

537

OF BHAEATAVABSA OK INDIA.

Yama, the sou

Saranyu and of Vivasvat, the twin-

of

brother of Yami, whose offer to marry him he refused as

appears in the Veda as

immoralj nowhere

a judge of

the dead, and the punishment of the bad is no concei'n of his.

He

mentioned as the

is

the way

first

man

that died and found

to the other world, to which he eventually guides

His messengers among men are two

other mortals. ble dogs,

which strike terror

and which everybody

tries to

into those

avoid and to pass by.

Yama

the Puranas and in other later works

judge

making of

this journey is the first trial the

actions, for they are

are well cared for trial,

j

but for the wicked

as they are exposed to

and anguish.

fear

now

supplied with

dead have to

the fruit of their they want and

all it is

indeed a sore

kinds of hardships, and

all

suffer great bodily pain as well as

by

appears as the

The distance from this world to the Yama, amounts to 86,000 yOjanas,^''* and

undergo. The good already experience

good

In

of the dead.

residence of the

hoi-ri-

who behold them

mental agitation caused

Yama encourages the good and

pro-

mises them a blissful future, while he predicts to the bad the sufferings ofhell.^*^

According

some statements,

to

he accompanies the Pretasarlra to the town where Gitragupta,

Yama's recorder,

resides. ^^'^

He

presents a hoi'rible appearance.

This dread

official

has red eyes, a long

nose; awful tusks project from his mouth; his thirty- two

arms are three yOjanas long, and like the rolling of

new and

his terrible voice sounds

thunder at a general dissolution.

arrival approaches, Citragupta II, 19, 6.

36.

Compare

also Yrhannaradiyapuraaa,

4.

XXIX,

Yamasoaturbhujo bhutva sankhaoakragadadibhrt puuyakarmaratananoa snehanmitravadaroayet.

^** See Vrhannaradlyapurana,

XXIX,

4;

Sadasitisahasrani yojananam munisvarali

yamamargasya vistarah papiuam bhayadayakah, 21—39.

»*= See ibidem, =

"

See Qarv4aj?urai}a,

II, 19, 1, 2,

When

a

and Yama's servants, 36:

j38

on the original inhabitants

who resemble

their master in dreadful ugliness, begin to

roar in a frightful manner. ' *

judgment

at

handed justice.

of the good and bad judgment which displays even-

which he has kept

of the deceased, a

Accordingly the good set out for heaven,

and the bad are pushed into respecti\-e

damned,

"'

hell,

aniung the

places

each to reside in their

men, or the more the living world, iu a theui.''""^ The mure modern gods, pitrs,

until they rejohi once

shape pi'eviously assigned Auolhei- reading

raclhja,

Citragupta then reads out the

which he has arrived after a careful examina-

tion of the record

actions

"

luis

ill

to

sloka

i7,

;;2

uT

iustcail

''/3iKKai.

ON THE OKIGINAL INHABITANTS

580

when referring to a feudal community, among the Scotch clans.

admissible, especially

such as prevailed

As

Egveda

the

a compilation of songs by diiierent

is

authors of different times,

language or

to use the

I think, rather

it is,

the meaning

hazardous

of one stanza or song

for the explanation or interpretation of another, unless the

authors of both are the same, or cogent reasons favor such a proceeding.

we meet thus with considerable

If

details of the clan-formation in

in elucidating the

times,

we must

however

obstacles

Vedic

on the other hand not overlook

also

deficient our

knowledge

of this period is

that,

and always

will be, so much is certain that the Aryan invasion of North India was successful, that the border-country was permanently conquered, and that the subjugation of the adjacent provinces to Aryan rule had in consequence become an inevitable destiny. It is, however, quite a

different

matter to dilate on the ethnological constitution

the invaders, whether or not they formed a

group

of

Aryan

It is not only possible,

tribes.

of

homogeneous but also

highly probable, that friendly aliens swelled their ranks, and that, as

weaker

is

generally the case with migrating peoples, the

tribes

follow in

whom they had dispossessed were compelled to tracks. When immigrating, or victoriously

theii-

invading, swarms of people settle

down

as a stable

commu-

nity, their various

heterogeneous component elements amal-

gamate gradually

into one national

to the outside its ill

multigenerous origin the

body, which presents

world the aspect of a united nation, when even

memory

of

is still

others.

conspicuous and lives fresh

By and by

with increasing-

power, the admission to citizenship will be rendered till it

in the

may be

difficult,

We have North America a modern instance

altogether denied to newcomers.

United States

of

of the formation of such

a state, and the foundation of

Venice by frightened fugitives

who were

joined by bold

581

OF BHAEATAVAESA OR INDIA.

adventurers was followed in course of time by the establishment of the proudest aristocracy, which displayed

A

exclusiveness by the closing of the golden book. fate befell the

Aryan settlement

derance

till

at last

like

which, free and

in India,

liberal in its constitution at the beginning, became

conservative and exclusive,

its

by

by degrees

priestly prepon-

developed the most successful and pernicious

it

Tet before had assumed the immutable form it now

system of caste the world has ever known. this social edifice

when

exhibits, there preceded a time

existed separately and were not

its

various portions

There

mixed with others.

can be no doubt that though the national Aryan stock

among

prevailed

joined before

became consolidated

it

but once thus

constituted

unchangeable, even access to

logical

tions

if

all

foreign bodies had

as a

Brahmanic caste

remained

it

on

the

:

whole

elements found

times strange

at

in a surreptitious

it

In spite of

many

the Brahmans,

manner.

the difiiculties which surround this ethno-

mystery the Veda has preserved some slight intima-

which may throw light on

Among

this

important question.

the most interesting episodes which are found in

the Rgveda, Aitareya-Brahmaria and other Vedic writings, as well as in the Mahabliarata,

be numbered

must

Kamayana and Pnranas,

the rivalry

and

contest

between

Vasistha and Visvamitra.

On The

origin

Vasistha.

and history

of the life of

Vasistha have,

from the importance attached to them, always been a subject of the greatest interest and even in ancient times were the favorite topic of legendary accounts.^

In

European scholars Professor von Eoth in

vnd

*

Among

his Litterafur

Geschichte des Wecla, Professor Christian liassen in his Indische AlterthwmsTcunde, Professor Albrecht Weber in his Indische Studien, Professor

Max Muir

Miiller in

liia

History of Ancient Sanskrit Literature, and Dr. John Sanskrit Texts (especially in Vol. I) have much

in his Original

contributed to the elucidation of this Vedic period.

ON THE ORIGINAL INHABITANTS

582 the its

Egveda he appears

sage, a priest

as a

seventh maijdala being ascribed to him.

As

and a

poet,

the domestic

chaplain of king Sudas, the grand-son of Pijavana and the famous king of the Trtstis,^ he became the rival of Visva-

Trtsus, to

Sudra

have belonged to the tribe of the whose king, Sudas, the Mahabharata alludes as a

He

mitra.

;

is

said to

a circumstance which proves

reliance can be placed on that epic

!

'

«

how little historical He was a friend of

Varuna, but having lost his favour, in order to regain he humbly implores the forgiveness of the incensed God.

it '

Indra the Viraj metre, and in return receives for this instruction the explanation of the formula of expiation {ijreiyakitta) ; ^ ^ the same Grod also imparts to Vasistha the

He teaches

devotion (hrahvian), while to Visvamitra he only grants the recitation {uhtha).^'"^

Varuna and Mitra and of the nymph Urvasi. For when he had inconsiderately caused Nimi to lose his bodily form, the king retaliated by proVasistha

is

called the son of

nouncing a similar curse against his former domestic priest, in consequence of which Vasistha's male energy entered into

Varuna and Mitra, but

them

left

at the sight of Urvasi.

As

Agastya was born on the same occasion, he became, as were, a brother of Vasistha.

'

it

*

The enmity of Visvamitra subjected Vasistha to many trials and hardships. He lost all his hundred sons. His son Sakti was either killed by the sons of Sudas, or

were according »

the

to

See Rgveda, VII, 18,

4, 5,

all

his sons

Mahabharata and Sayana's comiil— 25

;

VII, 33, 1—6, etc.

Sudas

is

also

occasionally called the son of Pijavaua. 1°

See Snntiparvan, LX, 38: Sndrali Paijavano nama saliasranam satam

dadau. 11

See S.jveda, VII, 86.

1^

See Satapatha-Brnhmana, XII,

1^

See SadvimSa- Brahniana,

1' See By-oeda, VII, 33, 10, 11 purana, IX, 13, 1 13.

—

6, 1, 38.

1, 5. ;

Vifnupni-dna, IV,

5,

6,

and Bhagavata.

or BHABATAVAESA OK INDIA.

583

mentary to Bl,gveda VII, 104, 12, devoured by a Kaksasa. Conformably to the Epic the machinations of Visvamitra made kingKalmasapada, the son of Sudasa, when transformed into a man-eating Raksasa, swallow sistha.

1 ^

this story

Sayaija connects the

murder

all

the sons of Va-

of Yasistha's sons with

and explains the Vedic verse in which the bereaved

sage indignantly repudiates the accusation of being a Raksasa or Yatndhana, which had been insidiously brought against him, as referring to the calumnious statement that

Vasistha had in the shape of a Raksasa eaten his

own

In this state of mind Vasistha preferred death

to

and

tried to destroy himself

the summit of forest-fire,

by

first

^

revenge,

into the blazing

again by hurling himself with a heavy stone tied sea,

and

in the swollen waters of the

by drowning himself

lastly

Hard

Vipasa

as he tried,

however, he could not obtain his desire to lose his

The respect

in

life.

which Vasistha was held and the worship

which he secured after his death, elevated him '*

'

throwing himself from

mount Meru, then by walking

on to his neck into the

Gom'pa.re the Taittirlya-Samhita, VII, 4, 7,

Adiparvan,

sons.

CLXXVIII, about Kalmasapada,

1.

to a divine

See also Mahabharata,

the son of Sudasa,

22iid

descendant of Trisaiiku, meeting Saktr, the son of Vasistha, in the road, and the consequences of their quarrel. It appears that both reports refer to the Hame occurrence, and perhaps the persons alluded to in the T. S. as the Saudasah and Kalmasapada, the son of Sudasa, (and in consequence a Saudasa), are really identical with each other. '"

a Raksasa

who had

form of the latter, Vasistha the Eaksasa "

According to Sayana in his commentary, hundred sons of Vasistha, assumed the saying that he (the Raksasa) was Vasistha and

See Rgveda, VII, 104,

V. 12,

12.

slain the

:

Hatva putrasatam piirvam Vasisthasya mahatmauah Vasistham raksas'osi tvam vasistham riipam asthitah Aham Vasistha ityevam jighamsii Eaksaso' bhravit

Atrottara rco drsta Vasisfheneti nah srntam." See the end of the introductory remark of Sayana to Bgveda VII, 104, where he quotes the Brhaddevata as follows Raix dadarsa raksoghnam putrasokapariplutah :

hate putrasate kruddhah Saudasair duhkhitas tada.

75

ON THE OKIGINAL INHABITANTS

584 position.

Manu

mentions him as one of the ten Mahareis

'

; '

the Visnupurana acknowledges him in one place as one of the

nine mind-born sons of Brahman, while heis called in another

one of the seven sages of the present or Vaivasvata Man-

The Mahabharata also is not consistent in this The Adiparvan does not include his name among the six great sages, but the Sautiparvan adds him as the seventh, and names him also as one of the twenty-one Praja' patis the Eamayana, however, is silent on this subject. vantara. '®

respect.

:

'

Vasistha had various wives.

By

Urjja he had seven sons,

but Sakti (or Saktrjwas not cmeof these. Another wife Aksa-

mala

is

said to have been of low birth, but

high position by her husband dhatt,

who

is

known

well

She

wifeof the sage.

is

;

was elevated to a

some identify her with Arun-

being the zealous and jealous regarded as one of the Pleiades, and as

by her union with Vasistha was revered as the mother of the seven great patriarchs figuring in the sky as the constella-

By

tion of the Great Bear.

the wife of his son Sakti he

became grandfather to the posthumous Pardsara. Vasistha is also mentioned as one of the superintendents of the month Asadha, and as a Vyasa or divider of the Veda in the eighth Dvapara. He was the owner of the celebrated cow Surabhi which excited the covetousness of Visvamitra, and was according to later traditions the innocent cause of the protracted enmity between both sa,ges, as Vasistha did not his favorite

want under any conditions

to part with

Kamadhenu.

Vasistha communicated his knowledge to king Janaka. He was the priest of Nimi, son of Iksvaku, whom he cursed for retaining

Gautama; he was the teacher

Iksvaku's 37th descendant

" " '»

edition

See Manu.,

;

35.

I,

See Visnupurana;

I, 7,

5; and JII,

1,

See SaiiUparuun, CCVIII, 2—5, and

CCCXXXVI),

of Sagara,

the sacrificial priest of Kalmasa-

3.V-35.

li.

CCGXXXIV

(flrut

Calcutta

OF T3HAEATAVAESA OE INDIA.

586

pad a, Mitrasaha or Saudasa, 50th in descent from Iksvaku and the priest of Rama, his 61st descendant. According to the Raghuvaiiisa he procured progeny to king Dilipa, by inducing him to pay respect to his favorite cow Surabhi. These few statements prove that Vasistha like Agastya and Visvamitra lived for assigned to

Vasistha

human is

many

ages beyond the usual limit

life.'^"

whom the Brahmans particuwhom they therefore endow with

the one sage

larly love to glorify,

and

make him worthy of their reverence By doing so, however, they have artificially created a superior being who is placed beyond the range of historical research. On the other hand they go to the other extreme in vilifying as much as possible the character all

kinds of virtues to

and worship.

of

his great rival

remarks I now turn

With these

and enemy Visvamitra. to Visvamitra.

Ua Visvamitra.

The

seer

and

Maiidala of the (III,

(3:^,

ofiicial

priest Visvamitra, the author of the third

Rgveda which

contains the famous Gayatrl

10), first appears prominently in the

Rgveda, in

capacity as the priest of the Trtsu-kiug

his

Sudas,

whose affairs he for a while conducts satisfactorily, but whose court he has to leave owing to the influence of Vasistha. The exact position in which both priests stood to the

king

is

not clear.

Visvamitra was most likely only

temporarily employed, but having expected to keep his post permanently, felt

much aggrieved when through

influence of Vasistha he

was disappointed

in this

the

hope

and henceforth he directed his hatred against the king and his priest. Vasistha was, as has been suggested, by birth a Trtsu,

and Visvamitra a Bharata, the former repre-

senting the ruling, the latter a section of an alien tribe =

"

See Muir's Original Sanskrit TeHs, Vol.

I, p.

337.

ON THE ORIGINAL INHABITANTS

586

which sought

its

fortunes by entering into the service of a

mighty and noble prince. nationah'ty, there are two

With

respect to A'isvamitra's

He was

possibilities.

who had embraced

Aryan

of liberal mindj

aliens,

in this case of the Bliaratas, witli

whom

in course of time thoroughly identified, or

Aryan

extraction,

i.e.,

a Bharata.

If

high position he occupied from the

so,

either an

the cause of the

he became

he was of nonconsidering the

first, it is

very probable

that his immediate forefatliers had already become natur-

among the Aryans, and participated in the enjoyment Aryan privileges, which Visvamiti'a inherited from them, and of which lie made the iitmost use owing to his great mental qualificatious and fearless disposition.-' ThatVisalized

of

vamitra, a high-minded and ambitious man, should try his

and the Bharatas by seeking for them an alliance with the most powerfol nation of the neighbourhood, need not create any surprise. The moment appears to have been well chosen, for the times were troublous, and the league was acceptable to Sudas, as the utmost

to elevate himself

martial Bharatas considerably strengthened

the other hand the Bharatas, up to

and even despised

I'ace,

now

liis

army.

On

a rather insignificant

gained a political

])osition

which

'-'

See Notes on the early liistfry o/ Northern India hv J. F. Hewitt, in the Journal of the lloijal .iaialic Sorietij of Great Britain and Ireland, "Vol.

XX,

346 " The whole Btdiv shows the opposition between two cue strictly Brahminieiil, i'epre-:entea by Vaaistha, who wished to

|ip. 3-15,

parties,

:

briun- the people

distinctions

completely under Brahniinical rule, to enloree the caste between Aryans and nou-Aryans, to restrict the right of offer-

ing sacriHceaaud to those

saered caste. pive

ac(|tdrii]LC

who were

Aryan

uf

Icarniu-, with the advantages thence resulting,

pure Aryan

birth, and received as Brahmins into the The other was the party of compromise, wlio wished to

privileges to the

their gods into the

rutin;.;

chi^ses of the native races, and to take of compromise, who were,

Aryan pantheon. The party

as Vievrimitra describes the Bharatas in the Xii-veda, the far-seeing people', the day. The advantages of securing the alliance of the ruling classes of the native races were too ercat to be neglected by those who looked at the question in its widest aspects, and they

won

wcrcformally

ceived into the highest castes."

re-

587

OF BHAEATAVAESA OE INDIA.

placed them socially witMn the pale of the superior class^ a position which,

when once

obtained, could not easily be

wrested frora them again, because the rank secured in those days was afterwards permanently acknowledged by the establishment of the

distinctions of caste.

ambition of Visvamitra was at

first

and permanently maintaining the post to

was

designs, for his

this

apparently

prompted by not altogether selfish personal promotion was of the greatest really

import to the Bharatas.

When

pact with the Trtsus, Vasistha, of Sudas,

of domestic chaplain

Perhaps

king Sudas and his family.

selfish object

The personal

centred in acquiring

these entered into a com-

then present at the court

if

may have even promoted the

ing the position

of the Trtsns.

At

treaty as strengthenall

events he neither

suspected any danger arising from this alliance nor did he penetrate into the ultimate object and secret aims of Visvamitra, so that the latter was for a while able to insinuate

himself into the good graces of the king and gain popularity

But when Vasistha fathomed the dcBigns

with the people.

of Visvamiti-a to supplant him, he presumably lost no time in counteracting

and frustrating them. Visvamitra was

in

consequence either forced to resign his post or was deposed

from

his office,

which event put an end to the alliance of the

Trtsus and Bharatas.

The

latter

under the lead of Vis-

vamitra, separated themselves from the Trtsus, and

open war was declared, sustained Visvamitra was

still

when

at first a defeat.

in the service of

Sudas when he

sang 9.

sage, god-born and god-incited, who looks on men, restrained on the billowy river. When Visvamitra was Sudas's escort, then Indra through the

The mighty

Kusikas grew friendly. 10.

Like swans, prepare a song of praise with pressing-stones, glad in yonr hymns with juice poured forth in sacrifice. Ye singers, with the gods, sages who look on men, ye Kusikas, drink np the Soma's savoury meath.

ON THE OEiaiNAL INHABITANTS

688 Come

11.

forward, Kusikas, and be attentive; let loose Sudas's

horse to win

him

riches.

Bast, west, and noith, let the king play the foeman, then at earth's choicest place perform his worship. 12. Praise to

Indra have

I

sung, sustainer of this earth and heaven.

This prayer of Vis\"amitra keepa secure the race of Bharatas.''^

On

leaving Sudas^ Visvamitraj

treated unmolested,

i-ecvo,ssed

to

have

re-

and Sutudrl, after imploring them

ratas the rivers Vipas to stop flowiug until

wbo appears

with his wealth and his Bha-

he and his friends had passed, and

resume their course afterwards

to

:

11.

Souu as the Bharatas have fared across thee, the warrior band, nrged on and sped by Indra, Then let your streams flow on Id rapid nation. I crave your

13.

The warrior

favour who deserve our ^vorship. host, the

Bharatas, fared over

:

the singer

won

the favour of the rivers.

Swell with your billows, hasting, pouring riches. Fill channels, and roll swiftly onward.-^

The end

of the

53rd

hymn

his hatred against Vasistha --=

See Kgv?da III, 53, 9—13 0. Mahiin rsir devaja

in

full

your

which Visvamitra expresses

and threatens him with revenge

:

devajiitoi

stabhnat

tindhum arnavani

iircakb'ab,

Visvaraitro yad avahat 10.

SudSsam apriyayata Knsikebhir

Indrali.

Harnsa va kruutha slokam adribhir madanto "iibhir adhvarc sute saciv

devebhir vipra rsayo nrcaksaso vipibadhvam Kusikah

somyam

madhu. 11.

Upa

preta Kusikas

cetayadL\am atvam raye pra mnncata

Sudasah raja

vittram janghanat pray apag ndag atha yajate vare a

pxthivyah

Ya ime rodasi nbhe aham Indram atustavam Visvamitrasya raksati brahmedam Bharatam janam. The translation is taken from Jir. B. T. li, Griffith's Hymns 12.

of

the

KigvC'da. -=

the

See

Sa> ana coulirms this statement in his preface to Paijavanasya Sudaso rajijah purohito paurohityena labdhadhanah sarvam dhauam ad5\a

Bijrsda, III, 33

hymn:

"

Pura

:

kila A'iivamitrah

8a ca Vipal-Sntudiyoh sambhedam ayayavanuyayur itare, athottitirsur Yisv.amitro gadhajale te nadyan distvottaranartham adyabhis tisrbhis tustava." babhilva.

Compare Yaska's Nirnkta,

II,

2-1.

See

Griffith's translation.

OF BHAEATAVAESA OR INDIA. was, as Professor

Roth has already pointed

589 out,

written at

a later period than the preceding verses rjuoted above, and the last or 24tli verse shows this clearly iu the following

words

:

" These sons of Bharata,

Indra, desire dissociation

not association, Tlie^r

urge their steed as against a constant

cari-y a

strong

bow

foe,

and

in battle-"-''

^^ See Prof. Eoth's Litferntiir and Oeschichte dex Weda, " Diese p. Ill Sohne Bharata's, o Indra, kennen (feindliches) Abwenden, nicht (freundliches} Hinwenden. Pie spornen ihr Ross; wie einen ewigen Feiud tragen Bie den starken Bogen (spahend) umher in der Schlaoht." Professor Both discusses this hymn at some length and says on pp. 121 :

123: " Diese l(Vasistha's) Paniilie also angehorig

war

dem Yolkstamme

der

ihrem Filrsten Sudds den wichtigeu Dienst leistete durch ihre Anrnfung die Huld der Gotter im Kampfe von den Feinden ab nud anf seine Seite zu wenden. Wie stimmt aber hiemit, was Ti^vamitra von sich und den Ku9ika riihmt, dass diireh ihr Opfer I?j

classes of

hands.

men, as the sky

of mortal

beyond the reach

is

Bhumanyu succeeded his father Bharata in the

^^^

kingdom.

After

monarch Suhotra,

Bhumanyu came his eldest son, the great who conquered the whole world up to the

was the father of A jamldha, while according to another he was his great-grandsea,

to one tradition

and who, according

Ajamldha had six sons by his three wives Dhumini, Nilr and Kesini Rksa was the eldest and succeeded his father as king, while from Dusmanta and Paramesthin, the two sons

father.

.

have descended

of Nili, are said to

all

the Paiicalas.^

^

In the

time of Sa-iiivaranu, the son of Eksa, a fearful famine broke See Aitareya-Brahmam, YIII, 23 also H.T. Colebrooke's Miscellaneous I, pp. 37, 39 in his article " On the Vedas, or sacred writinga See Mahnhharata, Adiparvan, XCIV, 17—19 and XCV of the Hindus." ' '

;

Essays, Vol.

:

;

17.

Itathantaryam sutan paiica paficabhiitopamamstatalj Ilino janayam asa Dusmantaprabhrtiu nrpan

18.

Dusmantam Siirabhfmau

19.

l.usmantad Bharato jajne vidvan Sakuntalo nrpali

;

tesam jycstho'

Pravasum Vasnm eva ca bhavad r.nja Dusmanto Janamejaya. ca

tasniad Bliaratavarbsasya vipratasthe mahad yasah. XGV, 28, 29, 31. 2y Dusmantal; khalu Viivamitraduhitaram Sakuntalam namopayome, yasyam asya jajne Bharatah. 29 Atrauuvarn-

Ibidem,

:

:

saslokau bhavatoh

:

Bhastra mata

pitul.i putro yena jatah sa eva sah bharas\a putram DuMuanta mavamamsthah Sakuntalam.

31.

.

.

Talo'aya bharatatvam

This sloka contains another explanation of the word Bharata. Sakuntala

Sathapatha-Brahmana, XIII,

called an apsaras in =

»

According

to the

5,

-t,

Adiparvan, XCIV, 30—33, Suhotra

See

18. is

is

p. 6U2.

the father of

Aj am id ha. 30.

Aiksvaki jauayam asa Suhotrat prthivipate

Ajamidham Sumidhaiica Purumidhanca

Bharata.

31.

Ajamidhu varas tesam tasmin vathsah pratisthitah

32.

Bksam Dhuminyatho

5at

putran

so'

pyajanayat tisrsu strisu Bharata. Nlli

Dusmanta-Paramesthinau

Kesiinyajanayaj Jalinum sutan ca Jala-Rnpinau. 33.

Tatheme sarvapaucala Dusmanta-Paramesthinoh anvayah Kusika rajan Jahnor amitatejasah.

XCV, 33—35, it Vikuptaua, who in

In of

is stated,

his turn

that Suhotra's sou Ilastin was the father

became the father

of

Ajamidha.

OF BHARATAVAE8A OR INDIA.

607

and many people died from pestilence, drought and other calamities. To crown all, enemies invaded the country, and the Bharatas were beaten. At last the king of the Pancalas set out with his enormous armies to subdue the whole world, and directing his attack against Saihvarana, he utterly defeated and compelled him to leave his out

country, together with his wife, children, relations and

them to seek shelter on the banks of the Sindhu where they remained for a thousand years. ^^ Most probably it is this invasion of the Pancala king

ministers, obliging

Durmukha it

to

which the Aitareyabrahmaija

reports that the Pancala

Durmukha was

refers,

when

consecrated by

the sage Brhaduktha, and through the knowledge which

he thus acquired became king, a position not previously occupied by him, and went conquering the whole earth. '^^

Lassen who comments on these passages, points out the

remarkable fact that Durmukha

mana immediately

"

See Adiparvan,

is

mentioned in the Brah-

after Bharata.*'

XCIV

•

jyestham fiksarti ahur janadhipam JRksat Sarin varaao jajiie rajaTatiisakaralj eiitah.

34. Jala-Biipiuayor

35.

Arkse Sarmvaraae rajan prasasati vasundharam sumahan asit prajanam iti nalj srutam.

saiiksayah 36.

Vyasiryata tato rastram ksayair nanavidhais tada ksunmrtyubhyamauavTStya vyadhibhisca samahatam.

37.

Abhyaghnan Bharatamscaiva sapatnanam balani ca calayan vasudhanoemam balena caturangiaa.

38.

Abhyayat

tafica

Panoalo vijitya tarasa

aksauhinibhir dasabhis sa 39. Tatas sadaras

enam

mahim

samare'jayat.

samatyas saputras sasuhijjanah

raja SaruTaraiias tasmat palayata mahabhayat. 40.

41.

Sindhor nadasya mabato nikunje nyavasat tada nadivisayaparyante parvatasya samipatah. Tatravasan bahiin kalan Bharata durgam asritah tatra sahasram parivatsai-an.

tesam nivasatam

" Aiiidram mahabhisesam Brhad. '° See Aitareya-Brah^nana, VIII, 23 uktba rsir Durmukhaya Pancalaya provaca, tasmad Durmukhalj Pancalo raja samvidyaya sammatam sarvatah prtMvIm jayan parfyaya.'' :

"

See Indische Alterthumslcunde, Vol.

I, p.

735.

78

ON THE OEiaiNAL INHABITANTS

608

Sarhvarana was then visited, so relates the Mahabharata,

by the great sage Vasistha, and

him

after appointing

his

became the supreme

family priest, regained his country,

and taking as his wife Tapati, the daughter of the sun, became through her, the father of Kuru. As Kuru was very righteous, he was made king of the

lord

earth,

by the people, and conferred fame on the country called after him Kurujangala, and sanctified Kuruksetra by his penance.

The whole story

Mahabharata

as told in the

very im-

is

probable, especially the introduction of Vasistha and the retreat of Saiiivarana to the Indus. likely

cession,

dom

This Samvarana, most

the last of the Bharatas in the direct line of suc-

was expelled by the Pancalas, and the Bharata king-

Then followed a long time

thus came to an end."^

of

anarchy during which the Pancalas retained their power.

The Granges separated the Pancalas into Northern and In the commentary to Paqini the Eastern and Western Pancalas are mentioned.^ ^ The Pancalas were nearly connected with the Paiidavas, who in fact became later on their representatives and were even Southern Pancalas.

called Paiacalas, an appellation to

being

five in

number have

also

by Draupadl's

king

of the Pancalas.

which the fact of their

They became

contributed.

choice, the sons-in-law of

Drupada,

The term Paucdla is differently explained, but contains most probably the number five {panca). The descent of the Pancalas given in the Harivarhsa and Puraijas differs

from that quoted above from the Mahabharata. The five Pancalas are in the former the sons of Haiyaiva, sixth in descent from Ajamidha. 02

XGV, 0^

Their father

is

said to

have

See Adiparvan, XOV, 42—49. About Samvarana compare also ibidem, 37, and chapters XOIV, CLXXIII— CLXXV. See Bhdgaiiataparan.a, IV, 25, 50, 51

i

and

Paijini, II, 103.

609

OF BHABATAVAESA OE INDI.

originated their

name by

declaring that his five sons were

sufficient for the protectionof the

The name may have

also

country {parlca

+ alam).^'^

been so called from the country

consisting of five districts^ similarly as the Panjab obtained

name from

five rivers

(Pancanada)

.

^ ^

The word PaScala appears grammatically to be formed by the addition of the primitive affix ala to the cardinal number pauca. ^ ^ It is possible too that the name may have been formed by means of the Gauda-Dravidian dlan, like Vellala, Ballala, Bhillala, Bangala, etc.^'

The Pancalas were not unknown to the Greek and Roman geographers and historians, for we find them mentioned by Ptolemy, Arrian, Pliny and others. ^^

With of

respect to

my

derivation of the

Benares or Varaijasi,

that °*

it

I

think

name

of the

town

not amiss to mention

it

reported to have been founded by the Pancala

is

See Hariramio, XXXII,

63— 66

:

Ajamidho' paro vamsalj srayatam puruaotta-ma Ajamidliasya Nilinyam Susantir udapadyata. Purnjatili Susantes tu Bahyasvah purujatitah Bahyasvatauayah pafica babhuvur amaropamah. Mudgalas Srnjayaeoaiva raja Brliadi§us smrtah Yavinarasca vikrautah Krimilasvasoa pauoamah. Pancaite raksanayalam desanam iti visrutah

63.

64.

65.

66.

panoanam viddhi Pancalan

sphltair janapadair vrtan.

Ajamidha had by hia wife Nllini a son Nila, whose son was Santi, whose son was Susanti, whose son was Purajanu, whose son was Caksus, whose son was Haryasva (the Bahyasya oftheHarivaraea and Agnipurajia) and whose five sons wereMudgala, SrnjaThere are great rariations in these ya, Bihadiau, Pravira and Kampilya. names in the vaiions Puraaas. Compare H. H. Wilson's Vishnupurana, Aooording to the Visnupurana, IV,

edited ° =

by Pitzedward

19,

Hall, Vol. V, pp. 14,1, 145.

See Bhdgavatapuram, IV, 29, 7

;

Panoalah panoa visaya yanmadhye

Navakham puram. ""

See Theodor Benfey's

•'

See a6ow, pp. 104, 105.

» '

See Ptolemy's Geograpkia, VII, 1, 51, where the town Tla(Tcroi\a is Arriani Uistoria Indica, II, 6, 7 C. Pliuii Secundi Historia

mentioned

;

Naturalis, VI, 22.

Hajidbttc/i der Sanskritsprache,

;

-p.

161,

610

ON THE ORIGINAL INHABITANTS

king Divodasaj the son

of

Sudeva, who through his grand-

father Haryasva^ king of the Xasi and Ajamidha, was a

descendant

direct

Bharata^

of

and

by

nationality

a

Bharata.«9

The Pancalas were ultimately ousted by the Kurus.

To

connect Saiiivaranawith the Kurus superhuman influence was required^ and this

is

intimated by making Tapati, a daughter

god Vivasvat and the younger

of the

Kuru became the reputed

sister of Savitrl.^"

ancestor of the Kurus.

The Mahabharata contains two genealogies of the Candra or Lunar dynasty, the first ends with Devapi, Santanu and Bahlika, the sons of Pratipa, and the other with Asvamedhadatta,

'"

the

son

of

For

Satanika.''

the

See above, 9.

10.

p. 41, also Mahahharata, Anuinsanaparvan, XIII, 9 Kasisvapi nrpo rajan Divodasapitamahali

12.

13.

— 15:

Haryasva iti vikhyato babhiiva jayatamvarah. Sa vitahavyadayadair agatya purusarsabha

Gangayamunayor madhye saiigrame 11.

table

first

vinipatitalj.

Tantu hatva narapatim Haihayas te maharathah pratijagmiih purim ramyam vatsya namakutobhayah. Haryasvasya oa dayadah Kasirajo 'bhyasicyata Sudevo devasankasah saksad dbarma ivaparali. Sa palayam asa mahim dharmatma kasinandanah tair vitahayyairagatya yudhi sarvair vinirjitah.

Tam athajan vinirjitya pratijagmur yathagatam Saadevaa tvatha Kasiso Divodaso' bhyasicyata. 15. Divodasas tu vijuaya viryam tesam mahatmanam yaranaslm mahateja nirmame sakrasasautit. In the Harivamsa, Viaimparana and elsewhere Divodasa is the son of Badhryasva, the son of Mudgala, the sou of Haryasva (or Bahyasva) In figveda, VI, 61, 1, is mentioned a Divoda.sa, a son of the sage Vadhryasva. 14.

'"

See Indische Altertlnimshmde, Xo\.

CLXXIII, '1

See Ailiparvan,

Kuru had jaya.

I,

pp.

734,_736; Adiparvan

7.

XCIV and XCV.

five sons, Aviksit,

According to the !J4th chapter Abhisyanta, Caitraratha, Muni and Janame-

Aviksit's sons were Parikrfit, Sabalasva, Adiraja, Viraja, Salmala Pariksit had six sons, Kaksasena

Ucoaissravas, Bhangakara and Jitari.

Dgrasena, Citrasena, Indrasena, Susena and Bhimasena.

Janamejaya's

sons were Dhitarastra, Pawilu, Balilika, Nisadha, Jambnuada, Kiiudodara Padati and "Vasati. Dhrtanistra's sons were Hastin, Vitarka

Kratha

OF BflABATAVARSA OR INDIA. Dhrfcarastra

grandson

of

61

and Pandu are the sons of Janamejaya, the Kuru, in the latter Dhrtarastra, Pandu and

Vidura are the grandsons of Sautanu, the brother of Devapi and son of Pratipa. The genuine line of Kuru seems to have ended with Devapi and his brothers.

Of the genea-

Kupdina, Havissravas, Indrabha and Bhumanyn, and ot his grandsons are mentioned Pratipa, Dharmanetra and Sunetra. Pratipa had three sons. Devapi, Santanu and Bahlika. Devapi retired into the forest and Santauu, the youngest of the three brothers, suceeded to the throne.

According to the 95th chapter Kuru married andhadasonVidiiratha, who married Madhavi and had Anasvan, who by Amrta had Pariksit, who by Suyasas had Bhimasena, who by Kaikeyi had Pratisravas, whose son was Pratipa, who by Sunanda had Devapi, Santanu and Bahlika. Devapi went as a boy into the forest and Santanu became king, who by Ganga had Devavrata also called Bhisma. Bhisma out of kindness married his father Santanu to Satyavati, known else as Gandhakali. Satyavati had by a previous connexion with the sage Parasara a son Dvaipayana, the cele-

Santanu had by Satyavati two sons, VioitraviryaandCitraiigada the latter was killed by a Gandharva and Vicitravlrya becoming king married Ambika and Ambalika, the daughters of the king of Ka^i, but dying childless Satyavati asked her son Vyasa Dvaipayana to beget offspring for his brother, and he, obeying his mother, begat Dhrtariistra, Pandu and Vidura. Dhrtarastra had 100 sons by his wife Gaudharl, of whom the most renowned are Duryodhana, Eustiisana, Vikaraa and Citrasena. Pandu had two illustrious wives, Kunti or Pitha and iMadri. Pandu while hunting killed a deer which was playing with his mate, and this deer being a sage, cursed him so that he might experience the pame feelings Out of horror Paiidu became pale, and not being able to apas he had felt. proach his wives, he asked them to raise offspring for him, and KuntI had thus by Dharma a son Yudhisthira, by M.iruta Bhima (Vrkodara) and by Sakra Arjuna, while Madri had Nakula and Sahadeva by the two Asvins. When Pandu had died and Madri burnt herself with him, Kunti brought up the children, who went to Hastinapura and were introduced to Bhisma and Vidura. Draupadi became their common wife and Yudhisthira had from her a son Prativindha, BhIma a son Sutasoma, Arjuna Srutaklrti, Nakula Satanika, and Sahadeva Srutakarman. Yudhisthira had besides by Devika a son Taudheya, Bhima by Valandhari Sarvaga and by Hidimba Ghatotkaca, Arjuna by Snbhadra, Vasudeva's sweet-speaking sister, Abhimanyu, Nakula by Karenumati Niramitra, and Sahadeva by Vij ay a Suhotra. These were the eleven sons of the five Pandavas. Abhimanyu had by Uttara a, Pariksit stillborn child who was revived by Kunti and called Pariksit. married MadravatI and had by her Janamejaya, who had by Vapusthama two sons Satanika and Saukukariia. Satanika married a Vaidehi and her son was Asvamedhadatta. brated Vyasa. ;

ON THE OKIGINAL INHABITANTS

612

logics contained in the

the

which ends

first

Adiparvan

94th chapter appears on the

in the

whole more trustworthy;, yet the

in

does not altogether inspire

it

The genealogical account

confidence.

95th chapter

no doubt

is

Mahabharata,

of the

in prose contained

extracted

from the

previous pedigree to which are joined some additions, for

it

gives as a rule only one son, the successor to the throne,

but

it

It is

names on the other hand the wives of the kings. arranged with the avowed intention to fix and to

strengthen the position of the Pandavas, by introducing

pedigree

the

into

several

mythical

The

personages.

Puraijas supply a third pedigree which

much

resembles

the latter. ^^ It is hardly

sampayana

imaginable that Janamejaya, to

whom

relates the pedigree of the royal race to

Vai-

which

the king himself belonged, would have listened quietly to an account, the untrustworthiness of which

especially with

regard to the more recent times was so manifest, and the incorrectness of which no one could

king himself. occurs in the rastra

whom

Peculiai'ly first

genealogical table

and Pandu, while

know

the father of Dhrta-

is

in the other account

the events of the past are told,

grandson of Pandu.

better than the

enough the only Janamejaya who

This contradiction

is is

Janamejaya,

the

to

great-great-

too apparent to

require further comment.

After these cursory remarks about the descent of the

Kurus and

Pancillas, I

may mention

that at a subsequent

period both tribes dwelt as neighbours iu Madhyadesa, the

Kurus

living

north-east

of

the

Paficalas.

Both

are

often mentioned together. Thus the Aitareya-Brahmaija'^ '-

See ludische Alterthiitiiskimde, Vol.

I,

pp. 737, 738.

"

See Aitareya-Brdhmanu, VIII, 14: " Ye ye ca Kurupaficalanam rajanah savasosinaranam I'ajyayaiva te'bhiBicyanfce, rajebyenan abhisiktan Compare also Salapatha-Brnhmana, V, 7, 2, 8 III, 2, 3, 15; V, aoaksata.'' ;

5, 2, 5, etc.

i

Vajasaneyi Samhita (Kaava receneion), XI,

3,

3; 6, 3.

About

OF BHARATAVAESA OB INDIA.

613

reports tiat the kings of the Kuru-Pancalas were conse-

crated to the kingship together with the Vasas and Uslnaras

and got the

title of

king. is, it

must happen that

in the course of time kindred individuals

and tribes became

In such a vast country as India

and were

settled in different districts, tion called

by such names

as

for the sake of distinc-

express these

differences.

These distinctive appellations can be likewise used

marking periods apply, is

if

once their origin

accepted.

still

in the history of those

And

this

is

is

known and not rare

to

whom

for

they

their significance

in

India where

it

not unfrequently occurs that whole villages, and even

smaller districts, are in times of war, famine or other calamities deserted by their inhabitants place, apply the

name

who

settling in another

of their old habitations to the

new

home, distinguishing the old from the modern, by adding to it

the necessary local distinctions.

We

have thus an East,

a North, a West, and a South Madura. One section of the Kanarese is known as the Badagas or Northerners, while among the Vaisnavas the two main sects are designed Northerners (Vadakalai) and (Southerners) Tenkalai.

Instances of this

kind exist also in Sanskrit, where we meet such expressions as TJttarakuravah, northern Kurus, Daksinahuravah, southern KuruSj Uttaramadreih, northern Madras, JJttarakdsalah, northern Kosalas, PrakMsalah, eastern Kosalas, Uttarajjail-

calam (rastram) North Pancala, Daksinapancalam,

South

Pancala, etc.

The

ancestors of the Gauda-Dravidians lived, as

I

have

already pointed out, on both sides of the Himalaya, and Professor Lassen had good reason for fixing the abode of the Uttarakurus beyond this great mountain chain.

In

Knrn-Pancalas see also Profeesor Julius Eggeling's introduction to the XLI— XLIII of the translation of the Satapatha-Brahmana, Vol. XII, pp. Sacred Books of the East.

ON THE ORIGINAL INHABITANTS

614

manner bhe BaUikas, and other kindred tribes of the Bharatas, the Pahlavas and Pallavas^ li^ed beyond the abode like

Those Gauda-Dravidiaus who resided in India remembered of course quite well at the beginning their fa r of snow.

distant relatives, but the longer the separation continued,

the

dimmer became the

recollection,

till

the existence of

these people lived only in the legend, and was looked upon as a matter of mere imagination possessing no real foundation.

enough we

Peculiarly

find this very opinion

expressed in two different places in one

In the Aitareya-Brahmana nations

who

live in the

it is

and the same work.

contended that the various

northern region beyond the Hima-

such as the Uttarakurus and Uttaramadras, are conse-

laya,

crated to glorious rule

;

but a

little

further on

it is

said that

the realm of the gods, which

the land of the Uttarakurus

is

no mortal can conquer. '

The Mahabharata, Ramayana,

*

Paranas and other Sanskrit works contain repeated allusions

The fame of this country had spread even to foreign nations, and Ptolemy speaks of the town, mountains and people of the Ottorokorrha. Plinius and Ammianus Marcellinus, and other classical writers mention

to the Uttarakurus.

them

Professor Lassen has sufficiently proved that

also.''-'^'

the country

named

after the Uttarakurus

was not a myth,

'* &ee Aitare[in-Bmhmana,Yl\l,li: " TasmSd etasyam udicy.im disi yr ke ca paroaa Hiraavantam janapadah Uttarakurava Uttaramadra iti vairajyaya ("va te' bhiaicyante," and VIII, 23: " Yada brahinaaa uttara-

jayeyam atha tvani u ha eraprthivyai rajasyas senapatir evate'ham Sa hovaca Vasisthas Siityahavyo devaksetram vai tad na vai tad niartyo jetum arhatyadrukso me u'ta idam dada iti." Compare Haug's Aitareija-Brahmanam, Vol. I, pp. 203 and 211; Colebrooke's iViscellaiieoui kuriin

syam

iti.

Essays, Vol.

I,

pp.

38—43

;

Professor Weber's Indische Stwdien, Vol.1, Ori.iiual Sanslrit Texts, Vol. I, pp. 492,

and IX, pp. 341, 342 Muir's 493, and Vol. II, pp. 324, 325.

p. 218,

"

;

See Claudii

Ptolemaei Geographia edit. C. F. A, Nobbe Vol. II and 245, or VI, 16, 2, 3, &pos 'OrropoKo^^as VI, 16, 6, the people 'OTTopoKo^fiai, and VI, 16, 8 and Vlll, 21, 7 the town 'OrTopoKo^^a pp. 128, 129, 130,

;

OF BHAEATAVABSA OR INDIA.

though the recollection of India treated

it

of

it

had faded away and the people

afterwards as a divine fable land.'^

The Kurus and the Pancalas were the two

who

of the Bharatas,

615

principal tribes

alternately lived in close friendship

with, or fought against, each other in fierce battles.

Such a

sanguinaiy and pernicious war forms the legendary subject of the Mahabharata, which has as its special theme the fortunes of the great Bharata family, but which includes

voluminous pages an encyclopedia of ancient and cosmology. This

within

its

Hindu

history, geography, diviuity

is

not the place to enlarge on the age and authenticity of

the grand Epic-

Suffice

it

to say that

some portions are

evidently old and must undoubtedly before the birth of Christ.

and

clear

have been written however, curious that no

It is,

Mahabharata

distinct allusion to the

is

found

in the older Sanskrit writings.

The

original Mahabharata, for

the Epic in

its

present recension

it

is

pretty certain that later date, sided, in

is of

the fight between the Kauravas and the Pancala-Pandavas,

with the brave, honest and noble but ill-starred Kauravas

who succumbed

not to the valour but to the insidious tricks

of their enemies.

For

to

mean

wiles

fell

Bhisma, the confiding Drona, and the

DuryOdhana, whose

real

name appears

victims the wise

fierce

to

Karna, while

have been Suyo-

dhana, was disabled by an unfair blow on his thigh and

then killed by Bhima.

When

original form, the deeds of the in the

memory

the

poem appeared

Kauravas were

of the people, but

when the

still

in its

fresh

older genera-

had disappeared, the recollection of these deeds became gradually dimmer and dimmer, so that the infamous behaviour of the Paijdavas was entirely forgotten, and the two parties changed sides in the later literary works so far as tions

'° II,

See Lassen's Essay in the Zeitschrift fur die Kunde des Morgenlandes, and 802 (512 and ff, and Indische Alterthumskimde, Vol. I, pp. 612

62

654, first edition).

79

ON THE OEIGINAL INHABITANTS

6l6

the moral character of both was concerned, the intriguing

Pandavas being white-washed and extolled, while the upright Kauravas were blackened and calumniated. Yet though

Brahman tenor of

and revisers tried their best to pervert the the whole poem, representing the Pandavas as

writers

genuine Aryan warriors endowed with valour, candour and humanity, and facts

to represent the

were too strong to make

in obliterating the

Kauravas as it

possible for

whole past. In spite of

incidents in the

career

of

them

all

away

ours to omit altogether, or to explain

vile tyrants

all

;

the

to succeed

their endeav-

questionable

the Pandavas by introducing

supernatural agencies or inventing religious motives, the case

was too

clearly against

ihem

to obtain their object, nor

could they entirely silence the objections of pious

The genuine Kuru dynasty ended

as

critics.

we have seen

with

Santanu, because his sons Citrangada and \'icitravirya died

without leaving any

offspring.

In

this

difficulty

their

mother Satyavati had recourse to her son Vyasa Dvaipayana, the son of Parasara, whom she persuaded to obtain issue from Ambika and Ambalika, the two widows of his deceased half-brother Vicitravirya.

Through

nexion were born Dhrtarastra and Pandu,

who

this

con-

could not

however, be regarded as genuine Kauravas, as neither their reputed father nor their mothers had any Kuru-blood in their veins.

It lias

been suggested that in the older recen-

Bhisma took the place of Vyasa, in which case Dhrtarastra and Pandu at least would belong to the Kuru-family, sion

'

yet this objection of the

in reality of no importance. None wives of blind Dhrtarastra or of pale Pandu were

Aryan

ladies by birth, Gandhari"

is

was a daughter of the Gandharas, Kunti or Prtha was a Bhoja princess and Madri belonged to the non-Aryan Madras. The king

of the

' See Professor Adolf Holtzmann's Indische Sa